Distinctus Inter Nos
by FoundersChosen
Summary: When two girls make a wish their whole lives change. Dropped in a universe where the Wizarding World is real, before the Marauders were torn apart, will they try to change everything or just let it happen? And what if they're meant to be there after all?
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: **__Neither Kagumi or Bridget own anything related to the Harry Potter series, other than the stuff they've bought and the ideas they come up with. Original characters and most of the situations presented, however, they _do _own._

**Story Summary: **When two girls make a wish, their whole world changes. Dropped in a universe where the world of Harry Potter is real, before the Marauders were torn apart, will they try to change everything or let nature run its course? And what happens when they learn that they're _supposed _to be there?

* * *

**Prologue:** Can't Fool Me

_"Beginnings are often scary, endings are often sad, but it's the middle that counts. You should remember that when you find yourself at the beginning." - Steven Rogers

* * *

_

"But… _Rick!_" the young man whined; he knew his grandfather hated the sound. One of the shadowy figures in the corners sniggered and robes rustled as bodies shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

There was a heavy sigh. "No, Cordan," came the weary response from the shadows. "When I say 'no,' I mean it. You seem to be having trouble with the idea, so I'll say it once more. No!"

In a chair sat a man easily reminiscent of a lion. He was a formidable man, with a silver-streaked mane of tawny hair, suntanned skin and a posture that screamed pride, but it was tempered by the kind blue eyes set beneath his dark brows. Now, though, he seemed exhausted, as if the constant debates were wearing him down. He looked down at his grandson, who was kneeling before him rather dramatically; it was a gesture he'd not seen in a few hundred years.

The boy leaned forward, clasping his hands together in a pleading gesture. "Please, Grandfather."

There was a moment where the older man seemed to be giving it some thought, but he still shook his head negatively. "No." He held up a hand, eyes sober and unrelenting, to stem the arguments everyone knew was coming. "We've got too many to deal with as is, Cor, and it's just not nice to mess around with people's lives!" The man's voice resounded with authority, telling the young man that there would be repercussions if he was disobeyed; it was a voice many politicians would have killed for.

"Mum," Cordan appealed, turning to the man's favored daughter. "It's not fair!"

"Oh, Daddy, let Cordan have his chance."

He glowered at his daughter, who had ignored the argument better than anyone else in the room. "No, Maura, the boy isn't grown enough."

Aside from the family, there was a black haired, gray streaked woman in a yellow dress. A woman in deep blue robes sat in a chair near the fire, her white hair glinting red in the dim, flickering light. A few others loitered around the outskirts of the room, namely two more in yellow, another in the same deep red that Godric, Maura, and Cor shared, three other women in blue, and, in the fair corner, one young man in deep green robes.

The first woman in blue smiled softly, gently amused by the family tiff. "Godric, stop being a prude; the boy is old enough and you very well know it. We should at least look into the idea; they could be the ones we're looking for."

"Rowena, be quiet." At her indignant glare, he added, "I'm sorry, but I just don't want Cordan messing around with innocent lives. He doesn't know what consequences guiding other realms can have. After all, I don't presume to tell you how to do your job."

She paused for a moment, hand covering her grin. "Perhaps not, but it _is _an amusing idea."

Godric stared at her and huffed, ruffling some of his long, red-blond beard. "He doesn't _understand._"

The lone man in green sniffed derisively, earning glares from Godric and Maura. "What? Are you honestly telling me that _you _understand what messing with other realms does any more than Cor? We've had to destroy universes because of your mistakes!"

"Ram, don't." The woman in yellow rushed forward, putting herself between the two. "Please don't pick a fight. None of us really know the consequences, but we all have our orders. If Ri—Godric doesn't want his grandson to potentially ruin something that we're not told to mess with, then we should respect his wishes."

"Oh, yes," the younger man sneered. "Let's all bow down to _Godric. _After all, he's amazing and wonderful and we have to do everything he says! God, Helga, has he gotten to you too? Why don't we just kneel and worship the ground the almighty Godric _Gryffindor _spits on and—"

"That's enough." The voice cut through the bickering easily and there was the sharp slapping sound. When the shock wore off, Godric's hand was still outstretched and Ram was staring, red creeping up his neck. It was a huge insult, but Raminus refused to let Godric know how much it hurt.

"How dare you? I knew your father, Raminus, knew what he was capable of and _overlooked_ it; I refuse to let the same mistake happen again!" His voice was barely above a low growl, but everyone in the room could hear it. In fact, everyone was so focused on Godric that no one noticed Cordan slip out through the small door by the third fire to the left. Raminus, however, did. He gave his friend another moment to escape before squaring his shoulders and walking stiffly from the room, looking past anyone he came across as if they weren't there. He sincerely hoped that the diversion Cordan had asked for was worth the shame it brought him.

* * *

Cordan Gryffindor leaned over the large, rune-covered bowl. His lips curved up into a smile as the sight he'd been waiting for all day appeared in front of him: two teenaged girls laughing together as they eagerly argued over a couple of books clad in green dust-jackets.

_Search not for the famous Three, but ones of the previous degree:_

_Saviors two, bound to time and place unseen but through the fog of sleep._

_A paragon of Light and a paragon of Grey shall leave their mark for good or naught._

_If the Whole should fail, Darkness will prevail;_ s_hould Darkness be shown his sins, a new world begins._

One girl turned to the other, a wistful expression on her heart-shaped face. "Merlin, Jet, I wish it _were _true. I—I wish I could just escape _this _world; I don't fit in here."

"Neither do I. Still, it's not real, no matter how much either of us wishes it was." She sighed. "Heavens above, life sucks."

The sound faded out and Cordan grinned; he'd heard everything he needed to. The smile grew larger, much like the cat that'd gotten the canary. He placed his hands on the brim of the bowl and peered into the endless depths. Grimacing, he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and let precisely four drops fall into the silvery liquid. He added a few petals and a vial of azure liquid before speaking.

"So she speaks, so she intends and let it be done," a hoarse whisper spilled from his lips even as the images swirled together to show an unfamiliar expanse of marble stone. Unnoticed by the young man, the door leading to his small retreat clicked open and robes brushed the floor as a second person entered. "And that is their destination."

"What are you doing?" Raminus asked.

Cordan straightened up, trying to both look and sound innocent; it didn't work well, "Nothing much."

"Nothing much? Right. I've known you for nine hundred years, Cordan Gryffindor, and you're only my best friend. You can't fool me." Raminus crossed his arms over his chest. "You've taken things into your own hands, haven't you?"

"Well… yes."

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **_Well, there's the first part of _Distinctus Inter Nos _(DIN). We hope you enjoyed it. Please review if you read it.

**08/04/09-** Hey guys, Gumi here. We've re-edited all of the DIN chapters, trying to make the story a bit more...streamlined. Over the past few years, Jet and I have gotten much better at writing together, so the earlier chapters seem too choppy and nonsensical for our current style. So, they're getting a make-over. Go back and read, see if you can discern what's different. Enjoy, and don't worry, anything plot-essential is NOT, repeat NOT gone.

* * *

_**Next time:**_

"_Right in what, exactly, Rowena?" Godric responded. He continued to scratch at the parchment with his quill. His voice held the tone of someone who had discussed the subject many times and was, quite frankly, rather tired of it. "The boy just wants something to do; he's not ready for the responsibility." _

"_Rowena has a point, Rick," a second woman said. She was wearing light yellow robes and carefully monitored one of the many mirrors used to keep track of the universes they were in charge of. "Besides, a little hard work never killed anyone. It would be good for him, as well as for Raminus." _

_Godric stopped writing, the sudden lack of the familiar scratching sound louder than anything he could have said. "What does Sal—Slytherin's boy have to do with this?" _

"_Cordan's no longer a child, my dear," she continued, giving him a sympathetic look, "you cannot protect him any longer. He isn't you and Raminus isn't Salazar. You must allow him to grow up." The woman paused for a moment, and then cracked a smile; the light lines in her deeply tanned face indicated that she smiled a lot. "Even if he is still dead. But still; Cordan won't make your mistakes; he'll make his own, love."_


	2. Terribly Bold

_**Disclaimer: **__Neither of us own anything related to Harry Potter other than what we've bought, and the ideas we come up with. Original characters and most of the situations present, however, we do own, so hands off!_

**Author's Note: **Sorry this is a bit late, but I got my deadline mixed up with my other story's one and thought it was today. I know, I'm such an idiot; I had it written down and everything. Anyways, here's the next chapter; I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**Chapter One:** Terribly Bold

"_When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, it is ready to climb." – Patanjali

* * *

_

"_MUM_!" a frazzled looking girl shouted as she tore down the hallway. "Mum, are you driving me or not? They're going to be here in," she looked at her wrist and cursed to herself when she realized she didn't have a watch, in fact she _never _wore a watch, "at 3:30!"

"It's 3:45, Bridget," her mother replied calmly, not looking up from the long essay she was grading.

"_Mum!_ Why didn't you tell me?" Bridget let her head fall against the nearest wall. "I can't bloody believe this." She eyed the stairs with frustration and decided to completely ignore them, instead sliding down the banister with relative ease. She reached the bottom and shouted, "I have to go now! Who in heaven and hell is driving me to the airport?"

"Your cousin's waiting in the car! And stop _yelling in the_ _HOUSE_!"

"I'll be back!" Bridget ran out of the front door and into the front seat of the car.

"Are we going yet?" someone whined from the back seat. Bridget spun around to see two boys sitting there. The one who had spoken, a tall, heavyset boy with brown hair, and hazel eyes, said, "C'mon, Bridget, are you ready yet?"

"What the heck are you _doing_ in here? I'm late!"

"Kawika said he'd drop us off first," the other boy, this one paler and skinnier than the first, muttered. He pushed his jet-black hair out of his face.

"We don't have time for that! Get out!" The two boys hesitated. "Didn't you hear me? OUT!"

They scrambled out of the car. Bridget sighed and glanced down. "Oh, for the love of God." She threw the door open and shouted. "Someone throw me your slippers, I forgot my shoes!" She ducked as two slippers flew at her head. "Jerk!"

* * *

Monstrous engines rumbled loudly, stinging the ears of a dark-haired teenager at the airport gate, as they always did this time of year. She trembled nervously as her sharp eyes scanned the faces of the crowd for the third time.

"Damn, still no welcoming party," she breathed.

The girl turned around to collect her bags when a hairy visage was thrust into her field of vision, causing her to stumble and trip miraculously over the luggage rack of a complete stranger; she wasn't always clumsy but from the pure irritation on the tourist's face, he wouldn't listen to her explanation at any rate.

"Matt, dammit, grow _up!_"

She pushed the mask off of her brother's face, only to see him grinning wickedly at her. One quick scowl and, after a furtive glance at their father, she lightly tapped Matt's nose with two fingers, a common signal in their family that they would be in serious trouble if they didn't stop.

Kagumi narrowed her eyes when she realized that she was looking _up_ at her little brother and saw that Matt was sitting on a pair of slim shoulders. Looking down, she discovered a pair of blue-green eyes smiling into her own. He had a mop of the blonde-brown hair shared by both boys and sun-tanned skin, with an overall look of innocence to cap it all off; there stood her other brother. Sighing, she grabbed Matt under his arms and pulled him off. Somehow, the two boys always managed to find something to get into, each and every year. It was only sheer dumb luck that she'd been able to get them out of the majority of their scrapes.

"Oh, Gumi, have some fun for once in your dweeby life!" wheedled a voice.

"Alex, shut it. Stay right here, and don't you move or I'll glue both of your jumpers to your bare skin tonight."

With squared shoulders, the girl walked towards her father, who was standing next to the baggage conveyor belt, looking hopelessly lost. Smiling tenderly, she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed softly. He looked down and ruffled her long hair affectionately.

"Hey, Kitten. Where're the twins?"

"Over by the gate entrance… I told them not to make trouble, or I'd glue their jumpers to them." Her father laughed merrily, his face lighting up to show the man he'd once been, if only for a moment. Kagumi was sad to see the light leave his eyes, leaving them dark pools of blue that rarely smiled anymore.

He pointed to the bags that had been neatly deposited on the ground next to them, and she groaned; playing bellhop wasn't her favorite thing to do. With one in each hand, both father and daughter made their way back to where the nearly identical boys stood underneath the sign that said "Gate 23." And there, approaching quickly was a face Kagumi hadn't seen since last summer; she sighed in relief.

Her hip-length brunette hair framed a surprisingly fair (considering her location) face with intelligent brown eyes and thick lashes. A long, slim nose accented the girl's features, giving her a slightly exotic look. She had an hourglass figure, with a high, thin waist that gently widened to rounded hips. The already tall girl had long legs that made her look even taller, and underneath the flapping of the long jeans, Kagumi could just make out some slippers -- what she was used to calling "flip-flops."

The girl stopped somewhat breathlessly in front of Kagumi and her father. Two sets of eyes scanned each other as if for the first time, and Kagumi cringed as she wondered what the girl was seeing: long black hair, blue streaks in it…weird grey-green eyes; very fair skin. Baggy clothes that hid anything she might possess and worn-out sneakers completed her look. She knew that she looked much different from the previous year and the slightly confused look on her friend's face confirmed it.

"Oh, dude, I'm _so_ sorry I'm late," she said as she gasped for air. "I fell asleep doing home..." she trailed off at the wide-eyed look she was receiving. "Wait, you are Gumi, right? I didn't just start apologizing to a stranger, did I?" She scratched the back of her head. "That would really suck. I mean, stranger things have happened --"

"It's me, Jet."

Surprisingly, Kagumi wasn't upset by being forgotten and unrecognized; while they were friends, and made a great writing team, they weren't terribly close. Also, Bridget was exceedingly... unfocused. It wasn't a surprise that she'd forget, and Gumi had long ago learned to overlook her faults; it wasn't as if she were the only one that had flaws.

Bridget nodded, making her long ponytail bounce in the process. She put her hands in her pockets and tilted her head slightly, smiling. "Thank God it's you. If you got your stuff, we can go now; my cousin's outside waiting. You remember Kawika, right?"

Kagumi followed somewhat awkwardly after shoving the bags at her brothers and telling them to stay close. Bridget kept on chattering merrily, as though no time had been spent apart.

"Are you sure that they won't mind us staying there this year, Kitten?" her dad asked quietly, shooting an anxious look at the other girl's back. "I don't want to be a burden."

"All I know is what they said, Papa. Jet said that they wouldn't mind, and that they had too much room for just one family anyway. So I would hope so, 'cause I didn't bring any money for a hotel or anything…"

The family followed Jet outside, where several people sporting leis were waiting for their rides, or a cab. She looked up and down the row of cars.

"Dammit, he got busted for parking," she smiled apologetically at the family. "We're not really supposed to wait on the curb, but I figured it would be easier if I came and got you than having you guys wander around aimlessly. I didn't know if you remembered much of Honolulu layout." She shrugged. "We'll just have to wait."

Jet smiled at Kagumi and her father (the two boys were currently racing on luggage trolleys behind them). "I'm glad you decided to stay with us instead of some hotel this year; we have much better food. Um, your dad's room is next to your brothers, who're next to my brother. They're about the same age. You can either sleep in the room next to mine or in mine; I have a spare bed. It doesn't matter, really, um—" Bridget stopped and gave them a sheepish smile. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Bridget's face suddenly broke into a bright smile as she jogged up to the blue van that had just pulled up and the tall, imposing man sitting in the driver's seat. But the image was broken as he turned to smile at Jet, and Kagumi could see the family resemblance.

She grinned back at him and leaned into the passenger's window. "Hey, 'Wika. What? You get busted?"

"Yeah, it was Uncle Noa, too. He said he'd go tell Auntie if I never move." He picked up the bags like they had nothing in them and threw them in the trunk before giving Kagumi and her father a smile that was eerily similar to Bridget's. "I'm Kawika Griffins, Bridget's cousin, in case you don't remember. Welcome to Hawai'i." He paused at Bridget's exasperated look and shrugged. "Again."

Everyone piled into the car (after Bridget gave Kawika a peck on the cheek, further destroying his somewhat unapproachable look) and they were on their way.

* * *

"Gumi!" Bridget shouted as she slid into the bedroom she and the other girl were sharing. Kagumi looked up briefly, her eyes a dark shade of green today, before turning back to the sewing machine. "Dude, get up."

"I'm almost done," she muttered.

Bridget sat on the desk currently covered in scraps of fabric and other sewing paraphernalia, and said in an oh-so-sympathetic voice (as if she was talking with a crazy person), "Gumi, sweetheart, you've been here for three days and you haven't even gone to the beach. As you're in _Hawai'i _and it's been a year since you've been here, that's utterly pathetic." She straightened up and clapped a hand to the currently shocked girl's shoulder.

"Today you are going to be a tourist and I am going to be your kind and generous local Miss Aloha (1), the hostess with the mostess. Your dad and brothers are already ready, we leave in five." She hopped off the desk and strode out of the room, grabbing her backpack on the way. "Make sure you wear a bathingsuit and shorts with a t-shirt. No baggy pants. Got me?"

She smiled brightly at her friend, and Kagumi nodded back meekly, looking slightly scared. "If you're not down there in ten minutes, I'll come back up and drag you into the car."

* * *

Forty-five minutes, seven cousin and sibling arguments, two ditched families, and an angry mongoose later Kagumi, and Bridget were on the beach, trying to decide what to do next.

"I shouldn't have left them with your parents," Kagumi muttered in a worried voice. "Do you think I should call them?"

"For the last time, Kagumi, no," Bridget responded with a sigh and roll of the eyes. "My parents will not kill your father-- from what I hear they can be quite nice-- and your brothers will have a lot more fun with a bunch of equally mischievous boys their own age then a few teenagers."

"Do you want to learn how to surf?" Kawika asked as he made his way over to them with a couple of surfboards. "I know you've been here before, but I've never seen you on a board."

Gumi's eyes lit up and she let out a decidedly girlish squeal, which was odd for the normally fiery tomboy; actually, most of her behavior this year was far different from what it had been in previous years. "Oh, yes! I've always wanted to learn how to surf!"

Bridget, on the other hand, went pale and tried to inconspicuously back away. Unfortunately, her attempt at an inconspicuous departure didn't quite go as planned and she fell into a hole, emerging covered in a light dusting of sand. Kagumi turned her excited gaze on the other girl, who was attempting to brush herself off inconspicuously.

"Are you going to come, too, Jet?" she asked.

Bridget overbalanced on one foot and fell back into the hole, coming out with a bright red face. "Er… no, you guys go on ahead. I'll just, um, sit here, and, uh, wait. Right."

"Why don't you want to come? I'm not going to be _that_ bad."

"Yeah, 'Lohe, why don't you want to come?" Bridget glared at her cousin.

"Gumi, I don't really like to, um, surf a lot."

"A lot? You _never_ surf."

"Shut up, 'Wika," Bridget snapped at the boy before smiling at Kagumi sheepishly. "You go ahead and have fun. I brought a book to read, just in case."

"Okay," Kagumi's voice was hesitant, unsure if she'd done something wrong.

"Why don't you go in the water for a sec, and get used to it?" Kawika said to Gumi with a worried glance at his cousin. "I want to have a little chat with Kolohe, I mean Biddy, no, Bridget—whatever the hell you call her."

Kagumi looked between Kawika's worried face and Bridget's stubborn, slightly red one, and nodded. "Okay, I'll be over there."

She walked away, while Bridget continued to ignore Kawika. "'Lohe, you know that you're being ridiculous."

Bridget glared at him, forgoing her previous attempt to ignore him. "Yes, fine, I'm an idiot, but I really _don't_ _care_."

"They won't hurt you."

"I know, but that doesn't make me feel any better, and you know it."

"They're supposed to protect you. Don't you remember—"

"That wasn't the shark, idiot. That was na 'ilio (2), _my_ primary aumakua (3). Na mano (4) is _your_ primary aumakua, and for all we know that might've been completely coincidental." She glared at him as he gave her a skeptical look. "Go teach Kagumi how to surf. Now."

"Fine. I'm going. But you're still being ridiculous." Bridget stuck her tongue out at Kawika's retreating back, watching as he explained the proper stances.

* * *

Bridget had only finished the first three chapters (a half-hour at most) when a shadow crossed over her. The laughing and splashing sounds had long ago faded out, and the last time she looked, Kagumi and Kawika seemed to be having fun; of course, not many people would find falling off a surfboard fun, but hey, to each her own. But when the shadow hadn't moved after another few seconds, she looked up.

"Could you please mo—?" She paled dramatically before her eyes narrowed angrily and she stood up. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

The tall, handsome Hawaiian-looking boy smirked down at her. "Aw, Bridget, you don't wanna see us?" His three companions (a stereotypical blond, surfer-boy, and two tanned, bikini-clad girls) laughed stupidly. "And here _I_ am, your cousin, and two of your very own classmates."

"Well, now, Kawena, that would imply that they actually go to _class _with me. I don't think I have any remedial courses."

The first girl's eyes narrowed and she stepped forward angrily. "You little bi—"

Bridget faked an apologetic look, "Oh, so sorry, did I touch a nerve there? You know there's help for those who have trouble understanding things like normal people."

"Not everyone's as smart as you, _Biddy," _Kawena hissed. "But if you were really as smart as they say you are, you wouldn't have turned down Kamehameha or your people."

"I am perfectly _fine_ with my people, '_Wena_. You're the one acting all psychotic."

"You got a problem with 'Lohe, Kawena?" a new voice said.

"No, course not, 'Wika," the boy said to his cousin. He glanced at Gumi, who was hovering behind Kawika, before giving both Bridget and Kawika a piercing look. "You should learn to hang out with your own kind. At least _this_ one's not fob."

"You bast—" Bridget lunged at her cousin but Kawika (from years of experience) grabbed her around her middle and physically pulled her back.

"Aloha," he said cordially to the four other teenagers. He glanced at Kagumi. "Do you think you could grab the bag? I don't think 'Lohe'll be cooperating anytime soon."

"Let go of me Kawika Daniel Griffins! I want to teach that racist idiot some fricken' manners! Think he can talk about my friends like that," she shouted as he carried her away. "What do you think you're doing? I don't want to leave!"

* * *

Kagumi sat next to Bridget on the spare bed in their shared room; the cloaks, cosplay uniforms and half-completed robes were scattered across the room. Bridget sat on the bed, sniffling. Angry tears refused to spill, and Kagumi wasn't sure what to do; she settled for patting Bridget's hand occasionally.

"Jet? You okay?"

"I'm fine." The girl replied in a thick voice, wiping furiously at her eyes. "That _idiot_ just makes me so damn _mad_! And 'Wika still won't let me do anything!"

"Mind explaining what exactly happened? I mean… I still feel new to this whole Hawaii business, and I know he insulted someone somehow. But, I don't really understand it." Jet took a deep sigh, and kicked gloomily at the covers.

"He basically said that… no, wait, that'd just confuse you." She rubbed her eyes with a tired sigh. "Okay, let's start from the beginning. There's this really prominent, extremely selective school called Kamehameha that, although accepted to, I didn't attend, which, essentially, makes me a… _disappointment_ to some members of my family. I mean, it's racist. How can anyone even _think_ of _pretending _that it's not racist. They only accept Hawaiians!" Kagumi nodded to show her understanding, looking quite relieved that Jet didn't look like she was about to burst into tears.

"Anyways, it's rather popular with Hawaiians (for obvious reasons) and it really isn't that bad of an institution, but I just—I just don't really agree with any of it, and that makes it… difficult sometimes."

Kagumi cracked a wry smile, feeling the anger surge beneath her own carefully calm façade; now was not the time to unleash her admittedly formidable temper. "Sorta like the Slytherins of Hawaii." Jet laughed mildly, and nodded.

"You could say that. And, I have a lot of Asian and Filipino friends; that's what Kawena meant when he said 'fob'. It means fresh off the boat. He was referring to them as stupid immigrants just here for cheap labor. Which, technically a lot of them started off as, but it's not so true now. It can also refer to people who look like they're from Asia. Although it usually isn't an insult, it can be used as one."

"But wouldn't that be good? I mean, he was saying I _wasn't_ fob. I don't really understand the insult here."

Jet sighed and looked at her hands. "Actually I was just really pissed that he had insulted the friends I normally hang out with, but, Kagumi, you're _haole_. I'm hapa (that means part, well, technically half, I'm a little more than—nevermind), I'm hapa haole. Er… white, whatever, anyways, some Hawaiians are angry at haole people in general because they 'stole' the Hawaiian throne from our queen, and they still hold a lot of power here. He's really just a stupid, racist idiot. And my family is fine with you, well…immediate family, anyway. Hopefully, you won't have to see him again, so don't worry about it."

Comprehension dawn on Kagumi's face, and her eyes darkened for a brief moment, before smiling at Jet. Usually, when Kagumi's eyes changed colors rapidly, it indicated a serious mood-shift, but the flash was too dark for Bridget to interpret it; nor did she really feel like it at the moment.

"Aw, come on, Jet. He's stupid. Probably half an inch away from being more woman than we are. Let's just let it go, and not let him ruin our day. If he does, then he's won. And guys like him don't deserve to win…" The black haired girl tugged on Jet's hand and smiled mischievously.

* * *

"Godric, have you ever considered that young Cordan is right?" the regal woman in blue robes asked politely as she scanned a large leather-bound book; her white hair glistened warmly in the flickering firelight.

"Right in what, exactly, Rowena?" Godric responded. He continued to scratch at the parchment with his quill. His voice held the tone of someone who had discussed the subject many times and was, quite frankly, rather tired of it. "The boy just wants something to do; he's not ready for the responsibility."

"Rowena has a point, Rick," a second woman said. She was wearing light yellow robes and carefully monitored one of the many mirrors used to keep track of the universes they were in charge of. "Besides, a little hard work never killed anyone. It would be good for him, as well as for Raminus."

Godric stopped writing, the sudden lack of the familiar scratching sound louder than anything he could have said. "What does Sal—Slytherin's boy have to do with this?"

"Cordan's no longer a child, my dear," she continued, giving him a sympathetic look, "you cannot protect him any longer. He isn't you and Raminus isn't Salazar. You must allow him to grow up." The woman paused for a moment, and then cracked a smile; the light lines in her deeply tanned face indicated that she smiled a lot. "Even if he is still dead. But still; Cordan won't make your mistakes; he'll make his own, love."

"We're straying off topic, Helga," Rowena interrupted before Godric could say anything; by the dark look on his face, it was a smart move, "I was merely inquiring as to whether these young women could be the ones we have been waiting for. They certainly fit the profile."

"Even if they are the Ones, I don't want Cordan to take it on. If he is to start a new world, it mustn't be one as important as this."

"It may be too late for that, Godric." Rowena coughed behind her book, and if one didn't look too closely, they'd never notice her shoulders shaking from mirth.

"Explain," he said sharply, raising his eyes from the parchment at last.

Helga sniffed once, trying to regain her composure. "Well, the boys have disappeared on their own and the Objects are missing." Helga pointed out a now obviously empty shelf, as she tried not to smile. As soon as she caught sight of his shocked, then outraged face, however, she broke out into a wide grin. "You Gryffindors always were terribly bold."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Hope you had fun reading the first full-chapter installment of DIN (don't look at me like that, I'm lazy and I don't want to type out the whole title). Let's see... translations for Hawaiian, and Hawaiian Pidgin terms are found below. If you want more information about the story, and updates on the updates, check out the Author's Profile. Is there anything else? Oh, yes, and please review. It makes us very happy... even if it's just a couple of words. Fire will be used to do something horrific to Kawena (well, not _too_ horrific)

(**Kagumi:** Afterall, he _is _her cousin. Of course, probably half the island is her cousin, too...-dodges incoming smack-)

**Author's Notes 08/10/09:** Hey guys, Kagumi here. We're revamping certain parts of DIN (namely every chapter to date) to account for our new writing style. Nothing plot-centric is being changed, but there are new details. Might want to look at them. -whistles innocently-

Thanks to _**Yemi Hikari, **_and _**FoxLuvr**_ for reviewing and to _**FoxLuvr **_for putting us on alert.

(1) **Miss Aloha: **A term commonly used in Hawaii to describe a girl who shows the "Aloha Spirit," which means that she's nice, helpful, and usually shows tourists around. Older women are called "Aunty Aloha."

(2) **na 'ilio: **literally "dogs," or "canines."

(3) **aumakua: **Hawaiian tradition, a protector (usually an animal) commonly associated with a particular family.

(4) **na mano: **sharks.

_**Next chapter:**_

_Bridget was bored. She was very, very bored. She idly fiddled with her wand, wondering why in the world she had chosen to pre-order her book at this store. Usually, she would go to a smaller shop where they would have a release party and food, but she had decided on this one because it was an hour closer to her house. She was beginning to regret that decision._

_It wasn't that the wait was horrible—it was just really, __**really**_ _bad. The crazy girl from earlier had provided some entertainment, but that had been short lived and Kagumi wasn't in the mood for conversation. She sighed to herself again. What was she supposed to do for the next two hours?_

_A slow grin crept over her face as she caught sight of a familiar person fast asleep a bit farther back. Apparently not everyone had made it to their normal hangout. Maybe she could have some fun with this__…_


	3. Absolute Awesomeness

**Disclaimer: **We don't own anything except any of the original characters. They all belong to other people.

**Author's Notes: **Here's the next chapter. Have fun.

* * *

Chapter Two: Absolute Awesome-ness

"I've never made pizza before," Bridget was saying amiably (and slightly vaguely) and she poked at the dough in front of her. "I'm not a bad cook—much better at baking, though—but I've never seen the need to make pizza before. We usually just go to the pizza place a couple o' blocks over."

Kagumi stood before a kitchen counter, her thin hands working the tough dough easily. Jet stood beside her, watching and continuing to poke absently at her own portion of dough. Kagumi scooped it up, tossed it expertly once and slammed the ball back on the counter, effectively knocking the air bubbles out of it. Jet's eyes widened as comprehension dawned on her.

"Dude, I so get it, _that's_ how you got strong, isn't it?"

"What?" Kagumi asked blankly, still kneading.

"This. This is how you got as strong as you are. I mean, for someone as tiny as you, you pack surprising strength." Kagumi laughed richly, throwing her head back and accidentally wiping flower on her nose. "It's all freaky-like."

"Well, I guess. I mean, after…when it was just dad, the boys, and me, I was the one who cooked a lot. The boys love pizza, and I like to cook, so we worked out an arrangement: if they could take their pocket money and give it to me whenever they wanted pizza, I'd make it. Besides, pounding out some tough pizza dough is one of the best ways to relieve tension, which is one reason I chose it instead of something sweet."

Jet's eyes widened and she hesitantly picked out the gooey dough and slammed it on the cutting board the way Kagumi had; the work flowed through her muscles and, smiling now, she imagined Kawena's face on the mass of lumpy dough. Kagumi giggled when she saw Bridget punch the dough, and scooted her friend over with her hip, taking her place in front of the dough.

"You take the one I was working on. It'll be easier to work with, and far stretchier."

Bridget sighed somewhat despondently as she switched places with Gumi. "I would so do an evil laugh thing now, but I suck at it."

* * *

"How tomato-ey do you like your sauce?" Kagumi called. 

Jet, who was slicing pepperonis for the toppings, shrugged. "I dunno. Enough to make it just the right level of tomato-ness."

She gave Kagumi a mischieviously innocent smile. With a sigh, Kagumi tasted the mixture again, and added a few more spoonfuls of water. Gathering spices without looking, a quick glance at the label being all Kagumi needed, she grinded them in her palm and sprinkled them into the sauce.

Wiping her hands free from spice residue, Kagumi sat down and pulled the grater and block of soft mozzarella towards her. She set the grater on top of a plate and skillfully ran the cheese down the grater's face until only a small piece of cheese was left. Moving the grater away, she randomly took two pieces of the shredded cheese and measured them, apparently happy with whatever she'd found.

"Dude?" Kagumi followed Jet's wide-eyed stare to the stove and a second later, the smoke curling up from it caught her attention as well.

"CRAP!"

She ran over to the smoking pot, yanked the lid off and thrusted a spoon down into the bubbling mixture to see what damage had been done. It wasn't much, luckily, but some pure tomato paste had been left on the side and had cooked to a black crust in one spot.

"It's okay. Nothing too horrible, but I was wondering if you had a washcloth around here?"

"Yeah, I'll go get one." Jet scurried off, coming back a second or so later with a thick washcloth. Kagumi lowered her covered hand into the deep pot, carefully scraping the black part off into the washcloth. She sighed with relief as she went to extract her hand, when a bony elbow was suddenly driven into her back. Kagumi bared her teeth at the pain of her burning hand (the washcloth had slipped, exposing bare flesh), but to her credit, didn't cry out. She did, however, take the washcloth and smack the person behind her with it.

A boy's voice cried, "OW!"

One of the twins had ran into the kitchen and accidentally fallen onto Kagumi. He had a scrape down one cheek and dirt in his blonde hair. Kagumi turned around and tapped his cheek three times before smacking him again.

"Mattias! Go bother Alexi. I'm trying to cook!"

"Trying being the key word there," her brother quipped. Another sharp smack with the washcloth shut him up.

"Now, what are you doing in here? Where's Alexi? Where's Dad for that matter?" Kagumi wrapped her burnt hand in her shirt, which was still damp from when she did the dishes. Matt drug his toe across in the ground in a surprisingly good imitation of a cartoon character, and blinked twice. An eyebrow rose on Kagumi's face, and Jet was completely lost.

"Dude, what the hell's going on?" She whimpered somewhat pathetically. "I'm so confused."

"I'll explain in a minute. Mattias Pheonix, what happened out there? What kind of accident?"

"Well…" The boy's discomfort was obvious to Jet, as he shifted his eyes down and then back up. "Well, me, Alexi and Dad were exploring the island a bit. And we came to this cove, not too far of a bike-ride from here. And well, there was this hill. And Alexi hit a rock, and fell from the bike, over the handlebars. Dad tried to catch him, but he couldn't! It wasn't my fault, Sis!" Tears welled in Matt's eyes and Kagumi crossed the room, kneeled down in front of him and hugged him.

"Shh…It's okay. Tell you what, Bugger. You take Jet and me to this cove you found and we'll take care of Alexi and Dad. Alright?" The boy nodded and sniffled once and Kagumi kissed the top of his head softly. Jet looked blankly at Kagumi as she sent Matt to the brothers' room and then washed her hands, pulled the saucepan from the eye, putting a cover on it and setting it on a towel on the counter.

"So here is what we're doing, in order. I'm putting the pizzas together. Then I'm putting them into bake. After that, I'm gonna go see my little brother, Mattias. Then the three of us are going to ride down to that cove, see what's happened, I'm going to do anything I can to help. And then, good thing we got all of the costumes done, we're going tonight to get The Book." The girl's voice sounded very strained, and as she pulled the half-done pizza crust from the oven, Jet noticed that her knuckles were white.

"I have a first aid kit around here somewhere," Bridget said quietly, "I was always a rather adventurous child, always got into scrapes. And, I'm pretty sure I know where that cove is, but I'd rather Matt come. Better safe than sorry, right?" She frowned and spoke (more to herself than anyone else, but who was counting?) "What about the pizzas though?"

"I'm sure that Kawika or someone here won't mind watching after it for an hour or so. I'll set a timer, so that they'll know when it's done." Kagumi forced a smile and wrung out a dishtowel hanging over the sink. Wrapping it around her burnt hand, she tucked the ends in and ladled sauce onto the crusts. Arranging the pepperonis to get the maximum amount of coverage, Kagumi brusquely spread the cheeses over the top.

"Jet, can you hand me the garlic salt? It's the spice with the bright green top." Bridget wordlessly handed her the seasoning (restraining herself from saying that she knew very well what garlic salt was, thank you very much) and Kagumi took it, sprinkling a little on the outside of each crust. Without an unnecessary word, the black-haired girl put both pizzas in the preheated oven, and set the timer for 65 minutes. Then without a backwards glance, obviously trusting Jet enough to follow, Kagumi sprinted up the stairs and into the boys' bedroom.

Matt was lying on the bed nearest the window, turned away from them. Kagumi sat on the bed and ran her fingers through his hair, letting him know that she was there. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, shaking slightly. She lifted his face to look at her, wiping away his tears with her bandaged hand.

"Hey…Shh…It's alright. I promise, Alex and Daddy are going to be all right. But I need you to be strong for me. Alright? Nothing bad is going to happen, Matt, but I need you to take us to the cove. I need to check on Alexi." The boy nodded solemnly and sniffled once before getting up. He strapped on his shoes, and led Kagumi out the door and down to the garage, where Bridget's family stored their bikes.

Bridget was waiting for them there, wearing protective gear ("If it's the cove I think it is, it'll be safer for someone to have this on, and I can still ride fast with it. And don't say a word, I know I look stupid.") and holding a bright green messenger bag with a large orange cross on it. Kagumi grabbed the bag out of Bridget's hand, ignoring her protests and mounted the closest bike.

Kagumi peddled hard to keep up with her brother, who was racing down the thin trail. Bridget was ahead of Kagumi, beside Matt. Every once in a while Bridget would pull ahead of the younger boy and have to slow down to let him catch up. Kagumi had the heavy pack filled with the first aid kit inside, as well as spare towels and washcloths. She peddled swiftly, trying to catch her breath and not think about the danger that may lie ahead.

Matt's signals indicated that something serious had happened, and that Alexi and their father were in grave danger. This thought sped her feet, and she easily caught up with Jet and Matt. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and her heart was pounding as they banked a sharp curve and slid to a stop at the top of a small trail. Following Matt's pointing finger, she saw now where there were two skidding tire tracks, going down into the semi-steep ravine. Without hesitation, and indeed, without Jet or Matt, Kagumi plunged down the nonexistent trail, sliding to a stop and hopping inelegantly from the seat. Inside the small cave, she saw two abandoned backpacks, along with two slightly beat-up looking bikes. A bloody shoe lay on the ground.

Kagumi drew a deep breath, vaguely aware of Jet and Mattias entering the cave behind her. A surreptitious glance around the dimly lit cavern revealed two vaguely human forms over in the corner, one missing a shoe. Kagumi gasped and rushed over, dropping to her knees beside the forms. Jet bit her lip, and watched slightly anxiously as one of the forms twitched slightly.

Suddenly, without warning, the smaller body leapt at Kagumi, knocking her down as she screamed. A blonde head poked from the black sweater that Alex had been wearing, and he grinned gleefully at the stark white Kagumi. A split second later, the girl's hands had grasped Alexi's shoulders tightly.

"Are you hale? Wholesome? Uninjured?" The boy nodded cheekily and a flash of anger crossed Kagumi's face as she tightened her grip.

"Good…Cause I'm gonna _KILL_ YOU!!" The girl's scream of rage was completely understandable, and Jet couldn't help but laugh as Kagumi chased the two boys around, her bandaged and burnt hand long forgotten as she whipped the washcloth off and smacked both boys around. (Not in a violent way, like "Oh, I'm gonna beat you!" but in a "Goddammit you had me so friggin' scared" way) Jet wasn't the only one who couldn't stop laughing, as Mr. Pheonix was sitting up, laughing helplessly as Kagumi chased the boys around the cave.

* * *

"Kagumi, this is really good pizza. It's very, um, pizza-y…" Jet tried unsuccessfully to bring Kagumi out of her brooding. Twenty minutes after returning to the house, and finishing the pizza, Kagumi still had a dark shadow hanging about her petite features. The girl angrily brushed tendrils of wispy hair out of her face and leveled a glare at her twin brothers, who were sitting beside their father, who was nervously fidgeting under the fierce glare of his daughter. 

"Kitten, you know…They're just—"

"Yes, Daddy, they're just 'boys' and 'boys will be boys' and that's how you've covered up for them since the day they came out of the womb! They're not babies anymore, Daddy, and you can't let them get away with stuff like that."

"Kitten, why does this bother you so much?"

"Because!" Kagumi slammed her cloth napkin on the table angrily, directing her poisonous gaze onto the two boys, who were actually tied to their chairs so that they had to listen to what their sister was telling them. Kagumi gave a deep sigh, visibly trying to recollect her infamous and previously unshakable patience.

"Daddy," she tried again. "I don't mind their normal pranks. I don't. Well, except for the Noodle incident, which I'm still not sure how they managed. But, they really scared me. Badly. I thought you were hurt, or dead, and we are in a foreign part of the country, no way to get back home quickly, running out of funds," the girl's pinks gained a pink flush at this, but she resolutely continued, now ticking things off on her fingers. "I'm going to buy my book tonight, so I'm going to be bushed tomorrow…I was terrified, Daddy. And…given _past events_, I just…don't want a repeat of that. Alright?"

Jet looked from father to daughter, then to the boys, the hand holding her slice of pizza hovering in the air uncertainly. She had no idea what they were talking about, but still, the fact remained that her friend was upset, and she was caught in the middle of a rowing family. She tried not to groan aloud, merely settling for taking a bite out of the pizza (quite honestly, she had no idea what it tasted like—she could be eating chicken for all she knew— fights had seemingly always made her nervous and jumpy), she really hated situations like this.

* * *

Kagumi fastened the last button on her white Oxford blouse; her nervous fingers slipped a bit as they anxiously flattened the collar around the red and gold Gryffindor tie. Jet zipped up her own skirt, checking her blouse in the mirror (she looked like her normal slightly-disheveled self, just in Hogwarts clothes) before both girls pulled their cloaks on. Kagumi was wearing knee-high white socks with black shoes, giving her schoolgirl look, which was the intended affect. Looking down, green eyes surveyed the Gryffindor patch that had been sewn onto the Robes over her arm and the end of her tie. 

"Well? Did I do a good job?"

"Yeah, _we_ did do a good job. I haven't seen you in those freakin' dress robes you insisted on making, so I don't know how well you did on those, but on the uniforms and school robes, I'd say we look pretty believable. Would you agree?"

"I would indeed!" The pair cracked identical smiles, and then went downstairs with their new "school" bags over their shoulders. Kagumi's carried her mostly-complete dress-robes and matching cloak, as well as notebooks, several of the "guide" books and all of the books from _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ to _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_. Needless to say, both bags were relatively heavy. Kagumi only tripped once going down the stairs, thankfully, and approached her father with a determined step.

Bridget hurried to stand next to Kagumi. "You sure you don't want someone else to drive us? It wouldn't be a problem."

The other girl didn't bother responding, and said, "We're ready, Dad…"

Bridget stopped walking for a moment, her rolling her eyes and sighing. She really hated being in these sorts of situations.

"C'mon, then…" Kagumi's father walked a little stiffly, as he had for the past few hours since the row and Mattias watched from the doorframe as the trio passed out the door towards the car Bridget had managed to beg off her parents. Alexi scampered out of the way of the car door and went inside, strangely silent. Kagumi gave a long sigh and sat down, her fingers restlessly playing with the pleated edge of her skirt.

With both Mr. Phoenix and Kagumi stonily silent and Bridget chattering on about some nonsense or another to stop herself from thinking, the car ride to the local bookstore was what only a blind, deaf, and dumb person (possibly insane, too) would call comfortable.

* * *

As the moon peeked her head out of the bed of clouds she had gathered around herself, the long line shuffled forward about a foot. Kagumi's nails were constantly near her mouth; it was only her sheer power of will that kept her from biting them off. Jet hid a yawn behind a forcibly-manicured hand, turning to face Kagumi. 

"You know, you didn't have to make me get a manicure…" she grumbled.

"No Hogwarts student ever looked like your nails did; no offense, but nails make a big impression on people! I mean, when you go to shake someone's hand, would you rather feel rough, torn, jagged nails, or soft, clean, smooth and well-kept nails?"

"I live in Hawaii, people don't shake hands, they hug each other. We're a very touchy-feely type of people," she muttered. Kagumi gave her a tired glare and Jet reluctanty grumbled her agreement, but still didn't say any more as the line shuffled forward another six inches. Kagumi used the time of her friend's silence to survey the extremely long line; she and Jet were lucky, as it turned out, because they were in the upper-middle of the line…that happened to stretch around two blocks down the road.

There were several people in line ahead of her; many, like herself and Jet, were in costumes, most handmade. A few store-bought costumes stuck out like eyesores among the throng of Harry Potter fanatics. Kagumi found herself appraising the costumes she and Jet were wearing as opposed to everyone else. Though many had chosen a grayish-black material, only a few wore school uniforms, preferring instead the easier-to-make solid robe that one just slipped over the head.

Some, like Kagumi, had made dress robes; almost all had cloaks of some sort or another. Most carried a respectable wand, but some fans carried only a magician's wand, with both ends of the black plastic dipped in a white cap. The ones wearing store-bought costumes carried many of these "imposter" wands. Almost all fans in the line that Kagumi could see had on some sort of pointed hat, whether it was the stuffed-vulture topped hat so much like the one Snape was forced into during Prisoner of Azkaban, or even just a plain black school cap.

However, Kagumi's hair was free to wander as it might in the cool night's breeze. Jet's was in a ponytail, as it almost always was. Kagumi pushed her thin glasses up her nose; it was one of the few similarities between her and the main character of her hero-worshipped book series: green eyes, black hair, glasses, thinness.

Anticipation was running high; Kagumi gripped her customized wand tightly, as if wishing she could actually do the magic she longed for. The tension was palpable in the Hawaiian air; several small scuffles had broken out already, what with greedy fans trying to cut line without being noticed. In fact, Kagumi had had to strong-arm a young man from cutting in front of her and Jet; a few whispered threats to something very "precious" had stilled his attempts to be unfair.

The line hobbled forward another foot; this was the pace that had been set for about the past hour and a half. Kagumi was getting vaguely irritated…

Another foot, and Jet stood with Kagumi, not six feet from the door. Her breath hitched in her throat as Kagumi looked at the green covers lining the walls behind the thin glass; the scene depicted Headmaster Albus Dumbledore leaning over a basin of sorts with Harry, and green light spilling forth.

A vague unease settled in her stomach as the line pitched forward a few more inches, and the ticking of the clock that had been set in the plaza square slowly created more pressure. Finally, a young girl couldn't take it anymore, and she ran at the doors, hand-made robes and Gryffindor scarf flying out behind her; with a sickening thump, she hit the glass hard and sprawled out across the concrete, dazed. Two thin hands pressed themselves over traditionally wine-red lips as Kagumi sought to stifle the inappropriate giggles trying to burst from her mouth.

Kagumi doubled over, pretending to tie her shoelaces as she desperately tried to control the giggles. Finally, the Potter fans were shook out of their stupor and two older fans rushed forward to help the crying girl onto her feet. As she was carried back to her place in line, Kagumi looked at Jet.

"I've been through…_several_…book lines. And yet, I have never seen someone lose control like that."

Bridget shrugged. "Only in Hawaii."

* * *

Bridget was bored. She was very, very bored. She idly fiddled with her wand, wondering why in the word she had chosen to pre-order her book at this store. Usually, she would go to a smaller shop where they would have a release party and food, but she had decided on this one because it was an hour closer to her house. She was beginning to regret that decision. 

It wasn't that the wait was horrible—it was just bad. The crazy girl from earlier had provided some entertainment, but that had been short lived and Kagumi wasn't in the mood for conversation. She sighed to herself again. What was she supposed to do for the next two hours?

A slow grin crept over her face as she caught sight of a familiar person fast asleep a bit farther back. Apparently not everyone had made it to their normal hangout. Maybe she could have some fun with this.

"Oh, Luke-y!" she called cheerfully. "I need something to do." The boy in question groggily looked up before deciding to ignore her. It didn't work. "Let's go make some trouble while Kagumi zones out. You have met her, right?"

He nodded, still completely silent, and stood up, stretching before turning to his friend. "So, what do you want to do? Start some sort of Harry Potter feud like at the movie release?"

* * *

At long last, just as the aching in Kagumi's feet became unbearable, her part of the line hit the bookstand. She was so close that her eyes could make out the detail of the front cover, though it wasn't really a reassuring sight. The cover was a vaguely hazy green, and depicted Dumbledore and Harry leaning over something. _A Pensieve, perhaps?_ Kagumi wondered briefly. As the book was thrust into her hands and she paid the thirty-odd dollars, she felt a small tingle. Turning the book over, cold dread filled her heart at the sight. 

Jet stopped right beside her, having finally returned from the impromtu and nonsensical Muggle Quidditch/Harry Potter Trivia game she had begun at two minutes before midnight. (Kagumi, not knowing that she rarely did so in the first place, just couldn't understand how her friend could focus at a time like this)

"Jet…look at the back cover."

Jet's hands carefully turned the book over, and the girl grinned: There lay the Dark Mark, hovering over what one could easily presume to be Hogwarts. "Absolute awesomeness."

* * *

Kagumi lay on the guest bed, which she had dragged closer to Jet's bed. They both lay in their newly bought pajamas, having already put their costumes into their new bags, along with all of the books they weren't reading. Kagumi flipped her book closed after the second chapter, already feeling vindicated and somehow disappointed. After three minutes of staring at the glowing clock (it read 12:35 P.M.), Jet closed her own book and sighed deeply. 

"Well…that was oddly unexpected, I had to read it twice. It was awesomely awesome."

"I don't know if I wanna even continue reading. I feel…let down."

"Hey! You're one of the biggest Snape fans out there, Gumi. If you lose faith in him, then he's screwed. Besides, who says that he's on Voldie's side."

"Yeah, I know. But _still,_ an Unbreakable Vow, to do something for _Voldemort!_ How could I _not_ lose faith that he's good?"

"Hey, don't forget what you told me before!"

"Oh, the Foe Glass theory? Yeah, I know," Kagumi said reluctantly as she fiddled with her book she looked up at her friend with a sad frown, "But you had a good argument for it."

Bridget gave her a blank look before shrugging. "So?" When Kagumi didn't respond she sighed. "I could make a good argument for almost anything. My debate coach says I have a way with words; I can make them say whatever I want them to say." She opened the book back up and determinedly flipped to the third chapter. "Come on, let's keep going. It's the second chapter and we haven't even seen Harry, yet."

"Yeah, maybe he'll redeem himself," the girl's disappointed voice was struck silent with a small scuffling from under the beds. Reaching down quite calmly, and indeed, reaching down without pausing in her reading, Kagumi pulled the blonde head of Alexi Pheonix from under the pale blue covers.

"Out!" without looking up, she pointed her slim finger at the bedroom door, knowing full well that he'd leave. Reaching down again, she pulled up her other brother's head and gave him the same treatment. Identical scowls adorned their faces as they left, slamming the door.

Kagumi suddenly sighed deeply, flopping across the pale blue bed and staring up at the light-mottled ceiling. Her arm was almost touching the floor, and Jet picked her hand up and placed near her head, stretching out to where their heads were almost touching.

Longing, sorrow and a little wishful thinking filled the deep green of Kagumi's eyes as she let out another sigh. "Merlin, Jet…I wish it _were_ true…I…I wish I could just escape this friggin' world…I don't fit in here…"

"Quite honestly, Gumi, neither do I… Still, it's not real, no matter how much we both wish it were." Bridget sighed. "Merlin, life sucks."

* * *

Cordan's face was pulled taut with intensity. Raminus' cool green eyes followed him as he paced before the inter-dimensional Pensieve, muttering to himself and apparently forgetting that Raminus was there. It had only been a few minutes since Cordan had finished the spell that would, quite possibly, rip the girls' world apart. 

"So, I understand _why_ we're doing this---I do. But..."

"But _what_?" Cordan growled at his best friend.

"But why the bloody hell do we have to do it in a broom cupboard?"

* * *

Kagumi's eyes fluttered once, twice. The last sentence she had read should have been hilariously funny, and yet…her sleepiness seemed to be taking precedent over her sense of humor. A lazy image floated in her head of Vernon Dursley, as portrayed by Harry Melling in the _Potter_ movies, having a wine flute bounce up and down on his head; a burst of drowsy laughter escaped her lips. 

Bridget seemed to be having similar problems. She had to reread each sentence more than three times for it's context to sink in, which (even with her fast reading pace) made for slow goings. She rubbed her eyes furiously, and took to the book again with a determined yawn.

* * *

Cordan threw his hands up in the air, growling in frustration. Sweat was pouring down his face, stinging his eyes and _still_ his magic wasn't working. His dark blonde hair was plastered to his forehead; Raminus laughed quietly. 

"GAH! All of my skill in Sleep and Dream Magic and they're still fighting me! Either they're incredibly powerful, or else they really, _really_ want to read." His sturdy hands brushed through his soaked hair, as if wanting to pull another idea out of his head.

"Cor, maybe it's both." The blonde stopped pacing, turning to look at Raminus.

"Huh?" he said blankly.

"Maybe they are really powerful, _and _they really want to read. I mean, The Prophecy calls for true devotion…I'd say this is true devotion."

"Merlin and Agrippa, but that means that I can't possibly take them both down so that the spell can work!" Raminus chuckled at his friend's hysteria, and stood, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe I could help…and certainly, their own power can help us, if we can just figure out how to tap into it." Cordan nodded slowly, Raminus' unshakable calm washing over him and helping him regain his reason. Together, they looked into the somewhat silvery depths of the IDP (Inter-Dimensional Pensieve) and began weaving their spells.

* * *

Kagumi's book closed with a snap. She curled around a pillow, arms tightly clasped as her lips formed words that would never have been known to her, had not a certain two Founders been toying with the very real fabric of time and space. 

Jet had long since fallen asleep, with _Half-Blood Prince_ sprawled over her stomach. Her breathing was slow and even, though a bit faster than Kagumi's own. They still lay in a polar fashion, with their heads almost touching, though Jet was still on her back and Kagumi had turned to her right side. The bolt slid shut on the door in the dark, of its own accord. Strange ozone-tasting air began to fill the room, the occasional crackle of static electricity adding drama.

A thin line of green flames slowly made their way around the two girls, not caring what the flames had to crawl up to complete the ring. Another tongue of flame did a second lap around the room, this one red. Slowly, the bolt slid backwards, unlocking the door. The ozone smell leaked out into the rest of the house, slowly infiltrating the senses of the occupants like a stealthy shadow.

Thoughts were changed, memories modified. The very framework of reality was slowly being manipulated and shifted. And slowly, ever so silently, the two lines intertwined, culminating in a fiery blast. Had anything living been in that room, save for Kagumi and Bridget, it would have been blinded instantaneously.

As it was, Kagumi and Bridget were no longer there. All that was left were two human-shaped scorch marks where they had been a few seconds earlier. The clock read 1 A.M.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **There's the chapter. Um... I promise next chapter we finally get to see some of the actual HP universe, and it should get much more interesting. Please review, especially if you have any questions or concerns. Both Gumi and I are more than happy to talk with you. -Jet 

Thanks again to **_FoxLuvr, _**and **_Yemi Hikari _**for reviewing the last chapter. I hope you keep enjoying it.

Next update should be up sometime next week (which would be um... July 2, 2007).


	4. The Power of Wishes

**_Disclaimer: _**We own everything you don't recognize (unless you just didn't know about it, and JKR still owns it).

**_Author's Notes: _**Look, I'm on time and everything.

* * *

Chapter Three: The Power of Wishes

An entire universe away, four boys were playing with fate. Well, they were playing Truth and Dare, which, considering who they were and their typical dares, could very well change the fate of the world.

"Okay, Pads, it's your turn. Dare or Dare?" a messy haired boy asked jubilantly, his hazel eyes twinkling merrily behind oval glasses. He stared at the boy in question, who was sitting on the other end of the bed with a roguish grin that turned his face into a playground of fantasies any girl could get lost in.

A thin, tired-looking boy with brown hair prematurely streaked with gray rolled his eyes before saying dryly, "Whatever happened to Truth, James?"

"Marauders don't ask for Truth!" James exclaimed with a grin. When his friends bursts into giggles (very manly giggles worthy of the four seventeen year old boys, of course) he deflated a bit. "Well, not in Truth or Dare," he said defensively.

"He's right, Moony," a second dark haired boy said as he clapped his friend firmly on the shoulder. Unlike James' wild locks, this boy's hair in no way looked like he had forgotten to brush it for the past three or so years. "A true Marauder never chooses Truth, and, as a true Marauder, I challenge Prongs to come up with a dare worthy of such a person."

"And I accept that challenge!" James replied. Opening his mouth to speak, he came to a sudden realization, paused, then frowned to himself as an expectant silence descended upon them.

"Don't tell me you don't have a Dare, Prongs," the fourth boy said in a disappointed voice. He was smaller than his friends (although, unlike them, he was also slightly on the plump side) with thin blond hair, and watery blue eyes.

"Of course I have a dare, Wormy; I have loads of dares," he said. "I'm just identifying the proper one for our dear Mr. Black." He snapped his fingers suddenly, his face alight with a look that, on some, would indicate insanity. Luckily, James just looked excited. "I dare you, Sirius Valentine Black, to wish for the perfect girl!" His triumphant smile slid off his face as his companions groaned loudly. "What?" he defended. "Wishes can be very powerful in the Wizarding World."

"And we all know that you've been _wishing_ for the kind affections of the generous Miss Lily Evans for the past four years, which is never going to happen, so pardon us if we've lost faith in their magnificently almighty power," Sirius said in what would've been considered a kind voice if not for the content of his statement. James began to sulk, as he did whenever they brought up his dismal luck with his red-haired love. However, instead of moping, as he generally did when alone, he directed his frustration at his friend.

"Just do it, Black," he muttered as he scowled at the other boy.

Sirius grinned widely and stood up, placing his wand hand over his heart. "I, Sirius Valentine Black, alias Messer Padfoot, the most intelligent, clever, handsome, charming, brilliant, powerful, spectacular—"

His friends knew he could go on like this forever, and, as they had done dozens of times before, simultaneously shouted, "Padfoot!"

Sirius didn't miss a beat. "Do wish for the girl who would be my perfect companion. She must be witty, intelligent, funny…"

His friends were, this time, shocked at the mere fact that he hadn't mentioned any sort of physical requirements yet, and didn't say anything "…with legs that go on forever, and a figure that just makes you want to—"

"Sirius!" It was Moony who decided that that was going a bit too far; a faint blush colored his cheeks even as his eyes shined with the quiet amusement that defined him.

"Love her forever and ever and—"

_CRASH. THUD._

Sirius stopped reciting his rather dramatic appeal to whichever deity granted wishes and pulled his wand out of his back pocket. The other three boys did the same and were soon standing next to him. They exchanged quick glances and James looked out his window, which had a nice view of the front door.

He was so surprised by the sight that he beheld that he merely said, "I think we better go downstairs."

"Why?" Sirius asked. "It's not…?" He trailed off with a dark look that disappeared when James shook his head.

"No, but I still think we should just go."

They did so, and, in seconds were standing behind James' front door. He took a deep breath (hoping that he hadn't just had one too many butterbeers; his friends would never let him live it down if that was the case) and opened the door.

"What the bloody freaking hell?" Sirius said loudly, astonishingly enough not waking up the two unconscious, pajama-clad girls who had been deposited on the doorstep.

The blond boy frowned, and, as the only one not staring at the two girls, felt it was his duty to bring up an important point. "I thought Prongs said one girl?"

Moony snorted softly, nudging the shorter one with his toe. "Peter's right; Prongs did only say _one _girl, Padfoot."

"Well, you know me; I'm a bit of an overachiever," Padfoot said in an almost absent way.

A wry smile crossed Moony's face as he turned towards his friend. Peter was letting his wand dangle by his side, ready to attempt defense if need be. James himself was furiously rubbing his eyes, half hoping that he _had_ just drank too much and half hoping that what he was seeing was very real indeed.

The two girls were just barely touching, black hair mingling almost artistically with brown curls, and they continued to sleep, completely unaware of their audience. Sirius briefly wondered if they should take them inside (it _was_ a rather chilly English night, summer or not, and they didn't have much clothing on), but decided against it and leaned back. Unfortunately, either he had forgotten where the doorframe was or it had moved sometime since he had last seen it (which tended to happen in a place like the Potters' Manor) and he completely missed it. His eyes widened as he fell backwards through the doorway.

* * *

_THUD!_

Bridget groaned softly to herself before she sat up, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Merlin, Gumi, what the bloody hell are you doing? I'm trying to slee—"

Her eyes widened to an almost comical degree once she realized that it wasn't, in fact, her friend who had made the noise, but the handsome, dark-haired teenager who was currently sprawled on the floor. All the blood drained from her face.

Neither the clumsy boy, nor the two others who were glaring at him seemed to notice that Bridget was awake. The fourth boy, who was shorter than the other three, kinda mousy looking, and the closest one to Bridget and Kagumi, _had _noticed and was trying to gain the attention of the dark-haired boy who was still standing.

Bridget didn't scream, but she started to shake Kagumi rather hard in an attempt to wake her up. She remembered, just in time, that Gumi didn't like to be woken up in that fashion. In fact, if it could be avoided, she didn't like to be woken up at all. As soon as this thought occurred to Bridget she ducked. Unfortunately Mouse-Boy (as she had so graciously dubbed him in her head) had neither experience nor knowledge of Gumi's violent tendencies, and was punched hard in the gut.

The boy doubled over with a small groan of pain (Gumi could punch _hard)_ and finally received his friend's interest. Actually, he received the attention of all three of his friends and promptly lost it once the brown haired boy (not the one on the floor—hereafter known as Clumsy One— or the one Mouse Boy was trying to bother) noticed her awake state.

Gumi turned back over (still fast asleep) and mumbled something to herself as Bridget slowly turned red. She gulped before saying, in a rather small voice, "Um, hi."

Four pairs of eyes widened (seemingly shocked that she could speak) and Jet reached over to shake Kagumi again. This time she couldn't bring herself to exert any more energy, and just managed to grip the other girl's forearm firmly.

A grunt issued from the pale girl as she attempted to shake off Bridget's hand, and she made a vaguely threatening noise as she realized that Bridget wasn't going to let go anytime soon. Gumi turned as if she was going to burrow into a pillow that wasn't there.

"Where the hell is my pillow?" came a throaty voice as Kagumi sat up and began rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Not there," Bridget managed to croak out although she didn't turn away from the boys.

"What did you do to my pillow, you evil fien—oh my _God_."

Kagumi shot straight up and the sudden movement seemed to startle Mouse Boy (understandably twitchy due to his earlier encounter with her).

"_Stupefy!"_ he squeaked as he pointed something at Gumi. A bright red light hit the girl and she crumpled to the ground.

The brown haired boy pushed Mouse Boy's arm down. "Peter!" he hissed. "What's wrong with you?"

Meanwhile, Bridget was staring between Gumi's still form and the stick Mouse Boy (Peter, she vaguely realized) was holding. He had just _stupefied _Kagumi. He had—he had just used... magic. Oh dear.

* * *

Sirius Black stared at the girl who had just fainted on his best friend's doorstep. This was one of the very few times in his life that he didn't know what he should do, but sitting there seemed to be a good idea for now. 

"I think," Remus said after a few moments of silence, "it would be prudent for us to bring them inside."

When no one moved, Remus sighed, shoved James to the side, and, with surprisingly little effort considering his slight build, picked up the poor girl Peter had stupefied. Sirius scrambled to his feet and out of Remus' way at the boy's glare; he knew better than to mess with Moony when he was in a "mood." He noticed that the other girl (who was quite pretty) had been left behind and, in a moment of chivalry (he was a Gryffindor, after all), strode over and swept her into his arms, only slightly surprised at how light she seemed.

"Make sure you lock the door on your way in, Prongsie, and you should probably ice that, Wormy."

Sirius heard the door shut a few minutes later, just as he was placing the girl on the sofa in front of the main fireplace.

"What do we do now?" James asked from the room's door.

"Dunno. At least you're parents aren't coming home tonight."

* * *

For the second time that day Bridget woke up to a loud noise. This time, however, she was on a much more comfortable surface, and, not unusually, it was Kagumi who had caused the noise. 

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" she was yelling at the brown haired boy from earlier. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE! WHERE THE _HELL_ AM I?" Bridget wasn't paying much attention to her rant, though. She was, instead, staring at the handsome boy from earlier, and he was staring right back at her. "WHERE'S JET? WHAT DO YOU WANT WI—"

Kagumi was cut off by a loud swooshing noise and another female voice. "James!" it yelled. "Jamie, where are you?" The woman sighed. "Warwick, I told you that we should try the main fireplace first. He's obviously not in his room at this early hour; it's only half past ten."

The brown haired boy had his hand over Gumi's mouth, and she was surprised enough to have stopped speaking. The three boys (she briefly wondered where Mouse Boy had wandered off to) gave each other worried looks. The brown haired boy and the boy who had been staring at her nodded at the third boy with the messy hair (she _really_ needed to learn their names).

Within the next ten to twenty seconds a few things happened in quick succession: the brown haired boy picked up Kagumi, with his hand still over her mouth, and carried her into the next room; the boy nearest to Bridget picked her up and deposited them both on the other side of the couch, keeping one arm around her arms and stomach and his other hand on her mouth; and there was a sudden flash of green and the same swooshing sound she had heard only a few seconds ago.

Bridget struggled valiantly against his grip. Unfortunately (and she knew this) he had her pinned rather tightly against his own body and she didn't have much of a chance of hurting him badly. What a shame.

"James, there you are!"

"Hi, Mum," she heard the messy haired boy say (thank _God_ she had a name to go with the face now). "Is something wrong?"

"Oh no, dear, I just wanted to check on you boys. Your father says that I'm being ridiculous, but these are dark days and I know what kind of trouble you boys get into."

"Trouble? _Us_?" James said in an innocent voice Bridget knew (from experience) proved his guilt. "We don't get into trouble, Mu—"

There was a loud crash from the other room and a masculine grunt. Bridget could only assume that Kagumi had made more progress in her attempt at freeing herself. She could hear noises that distinctly hinted at some sort of scuffle and resumed her own efforts towards freedom.

"Will you stop it?" the boy holding Bridget hissed in her ear. As she couldn't voice her refusal to comply with his wishes, she took the more physical route and elbowed him in the stomach hard enough to make him grunt.

"What's that?" James' mother asked sharply.

"Nothing, Mum."

"Don't lie to me, James Nathaniel Potter," she continued in a dangerous voice.

"Remus is keeping a girl we found on our doorstep hostage in there. I think she just broke free, but he probably petrified her by now." Bridget was astounded at his audacity until she remembered that the best way to lie was to tell the truth as if it were impossible. It had worked before for her.

"And what are Sirius and Peter doing while Remus is restraining this mysterious girl?" And, apparently, it worked with his mother.

"Peter's upstairs nursing the wounds he received from the girl— she's rather violent, you know, I think she's American— and, I'm sure Sirius has some poor girl pinned behind a couch somewhere."

"Just don't kill anyone, James."

"We don't _kill, _Mum, we maim and injure."

"Good-bye, James."

"Bye Mum."

There was another swooshing sound and Bridget could hear James sigh in relief.

"You can get up, Padfoot," he said. "_Moony_! Coast's clear!"

Sirius let go of Bridget and she stood up, straightening her clothes (which she belatedly realized were pajamas). She saw a battered-looking Remus walk into the room with Kagumi flung over his shoulder, kicking and hitting him as hard as she could; Bridget gave him credit for being able to hold out this long. However, this also reminded her of her own unpleasant encounter with Sirius and Bridget spun around. She pulled back her arm and punched him squarely in the nose, creating a satisfying crunching noise.

"Don't _ever _do that to me!" she hissed.

The boy clutched his nose (it was bleeding heavily) with a slightly dazed expression. The other two boys and Kagumi (who had momentarily stopped her flailing) stared at her and Sirius as she sat him down on the couch and pulled away his hand.

"Damn, it's not broken," she muttered as she gently examined the nose. "I thought I could punch better than that. Here, pinch there, and tilt your head back a little." She showed him how to do so with her own slightly bloody hand. "There you go; it should stop soon enough."

* * *

For the third time since their unexpected arrival, Bridget woke up to a loud noise. This time, however, it wasn't due to a clumsy teenager, or Kagumi's angered shouts, but because of a heated argument occurring outside. 

"How much Dreamless Sleep did you give them, Moony?"

"He was _supposed_ to give them a Calming Draught, not Dreamless Sleep."

"Prongs should've known better than to have me administer any kind of potion, especially unlabeled ones."

Bridget was momentarily distracted by a pillow smacking her in the back of the head. She turned and threw the pillow back at Kagumi who had, obviously, woken up at some point. Gumi glared back at Bridget and gestured at the door in a somewhat violent fashion. Bridget gave the door a thoughtful look before nodding, and they both stood up.

"Go on, Padfoot, you're the one who _made _the wish."

"But you're the one who _dared_ me to; you know I can't pass up a dare!"

Someone sighed. "Will _someone _just go in?"

"_Moony, _make Wormtail do it."

"Yeah, make Peter do it, Remus."

Kagumi and Bridget exchanged wide-eyed looks, half hoping that they had lost their minds (or were in a very vivid dream) and half hoping that they were listening to who they thought they were listening to.

Bridget gulped before pushing the door open. There was a loud 'thud' and…

"BLOODY HELL, MY _NOSE!"_

There were four boys standing outside the room: a short, roundish, mousy-looking boy with blond hair and startled blue eyes; a thin, amber-eyed boy with graying brown hair; a tall, thin boy with messy black hair and oval glasses perched on a somewhat long nose; and a—

"Oh my God," Bridget gasped as she knelt down beside the fourth boy, who was on the ground, clutching his nose, his gray eyes watering a little. "Did I do that? Crud, I'm _so _sorry."

"What the hell is your problem with me?" he said in a muffled voice.

Bridget felt her face heat up. "Well, the first time you had had me pinned behind the couch, but this time it was an accident." She gave him a sheepish look. "Sor—"

"James, son, what is going on…"

"Oh, crap, it's Dad," the boy who was presumably James (although they had never been formally introduced) said in a worried voice. He grabbed Gumi's arm and pulled Bridget up before shoving them both into a conveniently nearby closet. As the door closed with a snap, muted footsteps signaled a parent coming around the corner.

It was small, uncomfortable, and rather dark. All in all, it wasn't a half-bad place to discuss their options. If only she could get Gumi to shift her elbow a bit more to the right.

* * *

"Hey Dad," James said as he leaned on the closet door as his pajama'd father walked towards the Marauders. "Something wrong?" 

"Your mother and I heard some noise down here. Is everything al—Sirius, what did you do to your nose _this_ time?"

"He walked into the door," James put in hurriedly. He glanced at Sirius' shocked face before continuing. "You know how he is, clumsy as a troll in an apothecary."

"I am—" Sirius was cut off by Remus' discreet, but painfully well-placed kick, "—a very clumsy person, Mr. Potter. I'm utterly ashamed of myself. It's horrid."

Mr. Potter gave the four innocently smiling boys a searching look before deciding that it was too late to be sorting out any of his son's many problems. "Alright then." He pulled out his wand and, with a rather tired flick, repaired Sirius' nose and cleaned up the blood. "I'm going back to bed. Keep it down."

James nodded, visibly relieved as he moved away from the door to pull Sirius off the ground.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the closet, Kagumi and Bridget were having a rather interesting whispered discussion. (It is neither relevant nor necessary to know who said what.) 

"Are they—"

"I think so. How d'you—"

"I have no idea. Do you think we—"

"I dunno. What should we—"

"No idea. Oh, maybe we should—"

"Yeah, that sounds good. What if—"

"Okay, but how will we—"

"And we don't have any—"

The closet door swung open in a fashion eerily reminiscent of slow-motion film, and the two girls fell out. They landed in an ungraceful heap at the feet of a tired-looking man in a bathrobe who looked remarkably similar to James.

Warwick Potter turned, oddly unsurprised, towards his son, who happened to be covering his rather red face with a strong hand. With a searching look, he asked a suitable question, given the situation.

"Boys, why were there two girls in your hall closet?"

"Oh crud."

* * *

**_Author's Notes: _**There it is, the boys have finally made an appearance (and they shan't be going anywhere anytime soon, either). I'm, personally, quite proud of this chapter, I only took an hour or two to write the bulk of it as I had inspiration strike at around three in the morning Pacific Standard Time. So, please, please review. Um... yeah, thanks. -Jet 

Thanks to **_FoxLuvr_** for the review.

Next chapter should be up in... one week. I know, shocking, isn't it?

**_First Posted: _**7/1/07

**_Last Edited: _**7/1/07


	5. Trial and Error

_**UPDATE: 7/27/07- **_Hi, guys, this is Kagumi. Uh, Sorry about this. There ARE some changes in here, but in being on time, Jet forgot to use the updated version. I just caught onto this, please forgive us.

_**Disclaimer: **_We don't own anything you recognize.

_**Author's Notes: **_I am once again on time (miracles _do _happen). Um... enjoy.

* * *

Kagumi stared hard at the flowers before her. They were beautiful: roses, and some baby's breath, mixed along with gardenia, and moonflowers; the Potter's kitchen table had quite the tablecloth…She and Jet sat along one side of a rectangular table, the boys sat facing them, and at either end was a Potter Parent. 

Warwick Potter looked between his son and the two strangers. He knew that they were not really from the area, no matter what the boys said to the contrary. His Auror's mind thought everything through, but all he could really conclude about it was that either the boys were hiding something very well, or they had no more of an idea who the girls were than he did himself.

His wife, Vivian, seemed to have come to the same conclusion. She nodded slightly at him, before clearing her throat softly. Kagumi and Bridget both looked at her, fear etching a slow, yet hidden, path across their faces. Kagumi's head quirked to the side. "Yes, Ma'am?" she asked politely. _Merlin, she reminds me of Remus when we first met him…_Vivian Potter thought to herself.

"Who, exactly, are you?" she asked as she looked between the two girls, who were hurriedly muttering to each other. Finally, they looked up.

"I'm Jet Griffins, well Bridget Ashlyne Griffins, and this is Kagumi Pheonix," Bridget introduced before returning to fidgeting with the tablecloth. Most everyone in the room continued to stare at her expectantly until Gumi's sigh caught Bridget's attention. She looked back up and, realizing what she had done (or, rather, _not _done), smiled sheepishly. "Right, more info, I totally knew that." She cleared her throat, ignoring Kagumi's exasperated look. "Well, Mrs, um, Potter, you see, we have a very," Bridget frowned to herself, "How do I put this?— a very _prank-happy_ family; I'm sure you can understand." Here Gumi leveled a glare at James and the rest of the boys. The one named Peter (or Mouse-Boy, as Jet still called him in her head) squeaked slightly and buried his face into his arms. Bridget, however, was smiling to herself, reminiscing.

"_Somehow_," Kagumi picked up her cue, "We got transported from our families' house, right before we were to go on vacation. Most of our things were packed, save for a few essentials. And well, somehow we landed here. Quite painfully, I might add." At Mrs. Potter's quirked eyebrow, Kagumi added softly, "Your marble doorstep is rather…solid. Not the best of landing surfaces."

Instead of laughing, or at least being amused, as everyone else seemed to be, Bridget found herself staring, open-mouthed at the table with wide, slightly scared eyes as she came to a sudden realization. These boys were the Marauders, she was almost convinced of it, no she _was _convinced of it. And, she wasn't entirely sure how she and Kagumi had gotten here, to this world, but she did know that it was very hard to look the boys she had long held dear to her heart and know their futures. She closed her mouth and gulped, wondering how she was going to deal with this.

Kagumi was feeling much the same way, having a particularly difficult time looking at James and Sirius, who were, naturally, sitting next to each other. Remus was beside Sirius, almost directly across from her, and Peter was somewhat more distanced.

Kagumi's hazy green eyes avoided Peter for as long as possible, only acknowledging him when he spoke (which was almost never, thankfully). She assumed it had to do with the future she had seen of his; this was the only way she could explain away the fact that her hackles rose every time she looked at the boy. In her mind, she was already classifying him as a traitor; trust was going to be even more difficult than normal with him around.

She mentally went over what she knew of the Marauders (which was a considerable amount: pretty much everything available; in fact, the only person she knew who had a chance of meeting that level of knowledge was Bridget). James lived with his rich parents, was particularly good at Transfiguration. The title of best friend went to Sirius, who was by this time living with him, being unable to bear his own horrid family, and who happened to be currently looking for a flat of his own. Remus was, of course, already infected with lycanthropy, somewhat bookish, reserved, and quiet, having far more knowledge than what was deemed normal in this society. Peter, well, Peter—come to think of it, she really didn't know all that much about Peter.

Part of her rebelled against the fact that there was some information missing from her Harry Potter mental encyclopedia, while the other part was reluctant to even allow Peter to live beyond the next few minutes for what he had done. Shaking herself mentally, she looked into Vivian Potter's warm, brown eyes and smiled slightly, not noticing that the melancholy in her soul seeped into her features. Mrs. Potter stood suddenly, making up her mind. A quick glance towards the dining room window confirmed her doubts, and she pushed her chair from the table. Seven pairs of eyes followed her graceful movements, as she rapidly got lost in thought.

_Whoever these girls are, or were for that matter, I seriously doubt that they mean us harm. _Vivian Potter glanced over the two girls, who both had forlorn, slightly scared looks on their faces. Kagumi was staring out of the window with a sad little smirk, as though viewing the irony of the world, while Bridget swung her legs back and forth childishly, looking small and heartbroken._ Why would Death Eaters send children to do their work, when they could have the "fun" themselves? They aren't exactly known for their sympathy, not even for their own kind. They are bound only by hate of a common foe; and that is no way to sustain the type of army Voldemort is attempting to. Regardless, these girls are scared of their minds... and trying so hard not to show it..._ A rush of motherly affection warmed her, and, she cleared her throat delicately, giving the two girls a small, sympathetic smile.

"Well," Vivian said aloud, startling everyone on the table (Bridget started so badly her chair tipped backwards and she almost fell over). She gave the girl an amused look. "The sun will be up soon, so there's no sense in going back to bed. I'll have breakfast ready in a few minutes—"

Warwick Potter leaned forward towards the girls with a mischievous smile that showed just how similar he and his son were. "And by that," he cut off in a playful whisper, "she means that she'll have our _House Elves_ have breakfast ready in a few minutes." In response to his most unwelcome comment, Mrs. Potter forced him to become extremely well acquainted with a potato, which seemed determine to beat his head in.

"Oy!" he yelled as the potato attempted to worm its way into his ear. "Get this thing off of me!"

* * *

Blue daggers were being glared at two young men standing within a circle of stone seats. _They're really more like thrones…_ Cordan mused to himself. With high backs, plush upholstery and regal adornments, they were chairs fit for royalty. And indeed, something akin to royalty sat upon the thrones; names known throughout all the wizarding world, by even the simplest child: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff…_But no Slytherin…_Raminus thought sourly, wishing for the millionth time that his family had been more honorable. 

Everyone knew the stories of old Salazar's departure. But they were just that: stories. The truth remained hidden, buried beneath eons of anger and bitterness. Cordan fidgeted with his robe, fraying the ends by accident as he looked to his partner-in-crime. The only Slytherin still within the Founders' realm stood next to Cordan, his moss green eyes calmly meeting Godric Gryffindor's furious gaze.

However, as Cordan looked around the lavish council room, he was surprised and more than a little relieved that his grandfather appeared to be the only one taking this so hard. Helga was outright sniggering, while Godric bristled at her and her children's jokes like an affronted cat. Maureen, Cordan's mother, winked when he caught her eye. The Ravenclaw daughters were avidly discussing the two girls, comparing facts, as Ravenclaws tend to do. Rowena herself looked as regal and noble as ever, and yet Cordan and Raminus both could see that she was clearly trying (and failing) to repress a large smile.

In the midst of all the chatter, Raminus was startled by a deep lion's roar, Godric's way of bringing the court to order. Reluctantly, the council parted its collective head and both boys were pained to see that their own thrones (not quite as large or elaborate as the rest of the council's, as all of the Children's tended to be) had been hastily stashed in a corner, as they were now the judged.

"What…have you to say for yourself?" Godric asked, in a voice constricted with irritation. Raminus chuckled slightly, to where no one but Cordan could hear him. Cordan slowly spread his hands, smiling as innocently as he could at his grandfather. Raminus clasped his hands, smiling very politely at the Council.

Godric growled in frustration, finally slamming a conjured gavel on the long table in front of the circle. Ire flashed in his eyes, and Cordan found himself unenthusiastically remembering just _why_ his grandfather scared the living magic out of most folks…

"Why?" Godric asked. One word was all he needed to say, to express how deeply angry, and disappointed, he was in the two of them. Cordan flinched inwardly, cursing himself for being a coward when, as he looked over at his best friend, he noticed Raminus staring coolly into Godric's blazing eyes. Envy washed over him, but he pushed it aside for the moment.

"Well, Grandfather, after studying the prophecy --" Cordan was cut off by Godric's rumble of annoyance.

"_You_ studied the prophecy? You? You, who when asked why he shirked his schoolwork as a child, responded that it was too 'boring'. Yes, my dear grand-son, and pigs have sprouted wings without the aid of Transplant Charms." Rowena snickered behind her hands, and Maureen glared at her father. Catching her glower from the corner of his eye, Godric cleared his throat and tried another tactic.

"Why didn't you just attempt to explain the trut-- "

"He _tried!" _Maureen burst out, unable to contain her anger. Godric paled, as his only daughter stood, fixing him with a fierce scowl, looking, for once, very much like her mother. She stomped her foot angrily, her long russet hair falling over her face. She flung her arm out, poking him quite effectively in the chest with every word.

"He _tried_, Father, but in your stupid Gryffindor pride, you ignored him. You got all high and mighty again, just like you did with Uncle Salazar --" There was a near collective intake of breath from her side as Godric also stood. The woman clapped her hand over her mouth, but her shock at her own daring didn't last very long. Instead, Maureen threw him a dirty look as she walked down from the High Table to stand by her son, facing down her father as he placed his hands on the table in front of him.

"How dare you, Maureen?"

"No. How dare _you_, Father? How dare you accuse your grandson, your _only_ grandson, may I remind you, of wrong when it was your own pride that blinded you? When you were so sure that you were right, you refused to even listen to anyone else, for fear that someone will usurp you?"

"I am not afraid of losing _anything!_" Godric roared, startling everyone.

"See? There's that stupid pride of yours, getting in the way of the truth!"

Helga was nearly in tears as she cried, "Stop! Stop the fighting, please!" and Rowena was nervously twisting her blue robe in her trembling fingers; Godric's rage could be hard to stand up to.

It normally took all of her composure, and a few Calming Draughts afterwards, to walk away only slightly singed. Her eyes grew teary as she remembered the day that Salazar had left, unable to take Godric's flaws any longer. A knife wrenched her heart as she remembered his last embrace, only for her. He'd whispered in her ear, and she had cried for days without him…

A throat clearing brought Rowena back; Helga was looking between Godric and Maureen fretfully; father and daughter were both staring the other down, waiting for a break. Cordan looked frightened to be caught in the middle, but the iron grip his mother had on his shoulder wouldn't let him move.

"Father, you know that I'm right….Why can't you just admit - -"

"I admit nothing, Maureen!"

"Again, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have the famous curse of Gryffindor pride!"

Godric slammed his fist onto the table, making a fine spider web of thin cracks in the marble. "Confound it, girl, why can't you ever let it _drop_? I know my flaws far better than you ever will…"

With a deep sigh, Godric sat down, running his fingers through his silvering hair. A profound sorrow echoed in his eyes; his shoulders slumped and right then, at that moment, Godric Gryffindor looked like a defeated man, which, in and of itself, was rather frightening. With his gaze settled on the table, Godric took no heed of the two individuals walking towards him. Maureen placed her fingers on his hands, with Cordan resting his own hand on Godric's arm. Raminus hovered behind the two Gryffindors, not moving, but wanting desperately to be a part of a family again.

"I'm sorry, Maureen…I truly am. You're right; I know when I've gone too far. And as for you, Cordan, I owe you an apology. Your mother is quite right, my boy," Godric looked Cordan in the eyes, ruffling his blonde hair. "I should've listened. But my 'Gryffindor Pride' got in the way. So, let's hear about this world of yours, and these two remarkable young women you seem so attached to…"

"How did you find them?" Rowena asked, clearly far more comfortable now that the tension had bled out of the air. Helga nodded her agreement.

"Well, Raminus and I tracked through the mirrors…we looked for oddities, abnormalities, anything that could be useful…Then we settled on the universe where Jo Rowling was a writer who had created our world. Raminus' world, I believe, seeing as he is the…" Cordan cleared his throat, before giving his friend an apologetic look.

"Oh, just say it Cor…Merlin, I'm the Muse. I get inside people's heads. I'm their conscience, their little devil vs. angel on the shoulder thing… alright?" Raminus blew a strand of his long, black hair away from his face. "I'm the fuckin' Muse."

Cordan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly as he continued speaking. "Seeing as he is the Muse. You see, the books that Ram, um, inspired her to write were very popular there, so we believed it would be easier for us to find individuals dedicated enough to carry out the tasks we need them to. After a few years we found these two girls, but there was very little chance of them ever meeting, as they lived on opposite sides of their country, so Ram _inspired _both of them to write something called 'fanfiction,' through which they met and became close friends.

"Surprisingly, they weren't interested so much in the life of Harry Potter as Mistress Rowling wrote it, but the lives of Harry's parents and their friends, which was one of the first qualities of the prophecy: 'Search not for those, the famous three, but instead search for the previous degree.' Ram and I were kept quite busy with all that speculating, but we finally decided that it meant The Marauders. _Then _the girls decided to meet this summer and it was the _perfect_ timing for us to change everything." Cordan's voice had gotten an excited note to it as his eyes gleamed. "They match the prophecies perfectly and they _wanted _it so badly. Both Ram and I could feel it, and we couldn't just let the opportunity pass, Grandfather."

"You're already attached to the girls," Godric said, frowning. His daughter glared at him, and he didn't say anymore.

"They should be," she said decisively. "The more they invest in this world, the more likely it will be successful. We need this to work, Father, as you very well know." She smiled at her slightly confused-looking son. "I assume you've made the necessary arrangements for them in that world: finding someone reliable and preferably prominent to confirm their new identities and confide in; providing material possessions and other necessary items; finding shelter and preparations for their education at Hogwarts; setting up a backstory for them; and, of course, informing them of their task."

Cordan's eyes widened slightly, his voice strained as he responded. "Of course. Now, if you will excuse us, we should check up on our new charges."

"Of course, be careful, Cor, Ram."

The two boys left the room as quickly as they could without running. "I can't believe we forgot all that," Cor said with a weak grin. Raminus frowned at him.

"Forgot? We didn't even think of it in the first place." He sighed deeply, running a hand through his long, dark hair. "I just hope we haven't messed anything up for them."

* * *

"Mistress Potter, Miss?" a small voice said. Kagumi turned to it, whereas Bridget ignored it, knowing full well that it was one of the Potters' House Elves, and instead focused completely on her breakfast, which was very good. 

"Yes?"

"There's two misters at the door." There was a short pause as Bridget brought a forkful of eggs up to her mouth. "They wishes to see Mistress Griffins, and Mistress Pheonix."

"Thank you. Tell them we shall be down there in a moment."

Bridget looked up just as the Elf disappeared with a small pop and she noticed that both of the adult Potters, and Kagumi were standing. Gumi had her arms crossed over her chest and she was giving her friend a look that clearly said '_Hurry the hell up.' _Bridget sighed, put the fork back down and stood up. "Fine, fine, I'm coming."

* * *

She had just finished examining an interesting painting when she was drawn into a tight hug. Her attacker was a larger male, who didn't smell like anyone she knew, and, she rationalized, no one she knew wore robes or lived in this universe. It was an odd situation, to say the least. 

"Bridget Ashlyne Kealohalanipau'ole Griffins." The guy drew back, keeping her at arms length, and she stared blankly at him. He was tall, and blonde, with rather interesting dark blue eyes, and a worried, almost frantic look on his face. It was a face she didn't recognize in the least, although (just going by the fact that he knew her entire name) he obviously knew her. He continued speaking sternly, "we have been worried sick about you and Kagumi."

"It, um, wasn't my fault?" she replied, sounding utterly confused. Usually, she would just assume that she did know him and had merely forgotten his, um, existence (which she, sadly, did do every once in a while), but considering the circumstances that was completely ridiculous. Besides, the guy was British. She didn't personally know any British dudes.

"Obviously, it wasn't," mystery man replied as he rolled his eyes, "both your and Kagumi's younger brothers are in some serious trouble back home." Bridget started to fidget, she was rather uncomfortable with this strange guy's hands on her. He seemed to sense her discomfort and let his hands drop. "They've already left, and you know it's dangerous for us to communicate, so," he gestured at himself triumphantly, "Cousin Cordan took care of everything for you." He grinned brightly at her, his hands stretched out and she stared back. Cousin? Who the hell _was_ this guy? Someone cleared his throat behind them (she couldn't see much more than this weird dude claiming to be related to her) and Cordan sighed. "Of course, Raminus assisted me in my endeavors." His eyes twinkled as he leaned forward and stage whispered, "He likes to feel involved, his baby sister being one of the victims and all."

"Right," Bridget muttered.

Cordan moved to the side, his arm wrapped around Bridget's shoulders, and she could finally see the others. Both of James' parents seemed relieved that someone had come to find the girls, and the four boys were staring, open-mouthed at the two newest guests. Kagumi seemed to be in a forced state of silence, because she had her arms crossed protectively over her chest as she glared daggers at the other dude Bridget didn't know (Raminus assumedly). He was also tall, but thinner than Cordan with longer, dark hair, and he was smiling to himself in a very self-satisfied way.

"Thank you ever so much for taking in my wayward baby cousin and her friend," Cordan said to Mr. and Mrs. Potter. "We don't know what we would do if we lost them."

"It was our pleasure," Mrs. Potter replied with a kind smile. "If it's not too much, may I ask what you arranged for them?"

"We, unfortunately, can't take them in as we have some... situations to sort out this summer, but, because they are to begin there this fall, we've managed to arrange for them to stay at Hogwarts."

Ram moved his fingers almost imperceptibly as Cordan spoke. He formed specific thoughts inside his mind, feeling the connection between the two adults. _We've already taken them in… And Hogwarts is such a big school… No, this won't do at all…. I wonder if we have enough room… One of us will have to go on shorter duty hours, but with the rate the Death Eaters are killing, I'd be happy to take some extra time off. _His "message" got to Vivian, who looked at Warwick carefully, communicating in that silent way that all close couples seemed to have.

Both Vivian and Warwick frowned. "Oh, they can't stay at that big school all alone this summer," Vivian said. "It's no place for two girls to spend their holiday. Why don't you allow them to stay here until September? We've got more than enough room, and the boys can keep them entertained."

Cordan took a moment to think before smiling again and waving his hand. Two trunks appeared at the foot of the stairs. "Alright. We've given them enough gold to sustain themselves for the year, but if any other expenses occur, be sure to tell them and we'll take care of it." He briefly shook hands with Mr. Potter before guiding Bridget away. "I'd like a word with my cousin, if you don't mind."

"Oh, not at all, my dear fellow!"

Kagumi stonily let herself be steered through the doorway to the lavish foyer and then wrenched her arm savagely out of the dark haired man's grip. He faltered for a moment, and then with a careless shrug propped himself against the wall.

"Okay, who the _hell_ are _you_?" Jet whispered vehemently once they were out of earshot of the others. She had shrugged off Cordan's arm once they were out of sight and was currently standing with her hands on her hips, giving him a piercing look.

Facing both Bridget's complete focus (as unusual as it was for her to completely focus on anything, when the girl did so it could be quite formidable—even frightening) and a severe glare from Kagumi, both men were soon backed against the same wall. With a slightly beseeching look, Raminus extended his hands, and then turned them over to show two empty palms. _Trust me_, the motion said. Kagumi scoffed aloud, and then her hands went into a flurry of signals (somewhat unconsciously) that neither Bridget nor the one named Cordan could completely follow.

_How can I?_ Kagumi finally signed in frustration, once she had exhausted her rather extensive vocabulary of body-language expletives and curses. Jet looked between the two while the silent conversation as going on, noticing a vague, yet definite similarity in the features, postures and bone structures of the two dark haired individuals. And, if one took the time to examine both her and her "cousin" they would find, despite strikingly different hair and eye colors, a similarity is facial expression and stance that suggested family, or, at the very least, close friendship. Cordan cleared his throat, effectively suppressing Raminus' unspoken tirade; the similarities, which he had noticed as well, had begun to unnerve him.

Raminus sighed deeply, letting his hands drop to his sides. He'd gone over and over in his mind what he wanted to say ever since the hearing that morning. Cordan' s blue eyes had that twinkle in them again, and he looked between the two girls. Raminus stepped forward.

"Girls…My name is Raminus Slyt— well, nevermind, you don't need to know my name. This is Cordan. We're allies." ("Friends, Ram, we're friends.") "Allies to you; allies who happen to be caught in a very real war between Light and Dark. You see, there's a darkness here, a darkness that just should not exist. It should have been defeated in your world, but somehow--"

Cordan kicked Raminus. "Now where's the fun in telling them exactly what they have to do?" he asked rather mischievously. Kagumi swore quietly.

"So this _is_ a different world, then? I mean, it's not just time travel, is it?"

Bridget gave Kagumi an inquiring look. "_Just_ time travel? Did you just say 'just time travel'? What is wrong with you?" They ignored her.

"No," Raminus spoke quietly. "'Most people think that Time is like a river, that flows swift ands sure in one direction.' When in fact, 'Time is an ocean in a storm.'" Bridget bit her lip, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous level of confusing, almost irrelevant poetic language in his last sentence. Who is heaven's name speaks like that? But one look at Kagumi's face was enough to sober her; the pale girl frowned, as though she knew what he meant. "Nothing is certain. There are thousands of different realms, thousands of different futures for each realm. You are merely in one."

"Wait a second, what about our families?" Bridget asked, looking worried. "They'll completely freak—" Cordan put his finger to her lips, preventing her from worrying aloud anymore. She glared at him (as one may have noticed, she didn't like being forcibly silenced).

"Your families have been…well, adapted. They currently believe that you are in a prominent boarding school here in England. They will write you letters, and you can write them back. You will be, of course, corresponding through time and space, but, still, the letters will arrive."

Kagumi bit her lip, looking very much like a scared child, in Raminus' opinion; he shook away a surge of affection. She puffed slightly, blowing bangs away from her face. Looking at him, she asked something that he would in all likelihood not answer, "Why are we here?"

"Now that we will not tell you—"

"Will not?" Bridget interrupted, eyes narrowing dangerously at Cordan. "What do you mean 'will not'? You can tell us and you're choosing not to? Now, tell me, dear _cousin, _how does that build trust?"

He attempted to ignore her, although he had maneuvered so that Ram was now in between him and his 'cousin.' "Suffice to say, you are here for a reason, and it's a rather important one. Even though we will not be giving you any specifics, we will be available for help. Just send us an owl."

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that without an—oh." Bridget stared at the mottled brown Eagle owl now in her outstretched hands.

"Take care of her. Now, we must be going. Until we meet again."

And, with two soft pops the men were gone. Kagumi glared at the spot they had disappeared from, while their new pet distracted Bridget.

"I think we should name her Pueo. It's very appropriate, I think," she said decisively. The owl opened a very orange eye, nipped the tip of Jet's finger as it smoothed down the horn-like feather protrusions.

Kagumi, however, was still rather annoyed with Ram and Cor's uninformative answers, and Bridget's distinct lack of animosity was not helping. "How so?" she asked in a slightly cold voice.

Bridget didn't notice as she smiled. "It means owl in Hawaiian."

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **_There we go. Please read and review. Reviews are so pleasant to receive. Anyways, next chapter we have some more... well, I can't tell you, but it's gonna be interesting. Once again, please review. Next update by next Sunday. 

**Kagumi:** Oh, and by the way, I disclaim that "Speaks, Intends, Let It Be Done" line from the prologue. It IS NOT MINE in any way, shape or form. In fact, it belongs to lovely young woman named Anne, who goes by the name of whydoyouneedtoknow. She's an awesome writer, and I strongly recommend checking out her infamous, realistic and wonderfully crafted Dangerverse!

**Kagumi (again):** Oh, and there's a line or two in here from Prince of Persia, Sands of Time. Can any of you gamers spot it? (this is my version of a disclaimer. First person to get it gets an honorable mention in an upcoming chapter!)

Thanks to _**FoxLuvr,**_ and _**Aquila Corax **_for reviewing, and to _**Aquila Corax **_for putting us on story alert and fav'ing us.


	6. Only One Choice

**A/N:** Hi there, everyone! Kagumi here. Jet's a little behind, so I decided to take over posting this chapter for her. Enjoy it!

* * *

A cool breeze filtered through Kagumi's now-brushed and coiffed hair; she absently reached upwards and wiped a small bead of sweat from the back of her neck. Her hands plucked absently at the dark robes that Mrs. Potter had loaned them; until the entire family and the two girls could make a trip to Diagon Alley, they only had their Muggle clothes. Bridget was similarly clad in magically modified robes. Both girls were a little shorter than Mrs. Potter, but with a few waves of her wand (Merlin, _that_ was going to take some getting used to) the robes were tailored to fit them, well, temporarily. 

Bridget was walking beside her, and the two of them were talking softly as they wandered around Potters' grounds. It was such a _big _place. Kagumi, however, seemed to be the only one awed by the size.

"I want my jeans back," Bridget muttered to herself as she tugged at the robes.

"Why? You look good in those."

"Yeah, yeah, but I miss my jeans. I don't like dresses."

"It's not a dress, Jet, it's a _robe." _

She waved her hand dismissively, "Robe, dress, same thing. Both are entirely too cumbersome."

Kagumi sighed, giving her friend a tired look before turning around and walking away. Bridget jogged after her. As soon as she caught up, she took a deep breath, her hands outstretched, "I love being outside, and it's so _open _here."

"I'll guarantee you that the Malfoys' estate isn't even this big…" Kagumi said quietly.

"I'll second that," came a voice from the Maze entrance.

Sirius leaned against one of the larger poles, scattering fairies that had been resting on him. Bridget smiled and bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh as one of the more offended fairies bit him on the nose. Kagumi felt a small amount of pity for him, as she noticed that the swelling from his last two encounters with Bridget hadn't completely gone down.

He rubbed his nose inattentively before grinning at the two girls. "Malfoy's estate isn't nearly half of this. It's one of the many reasons the Potters and Malfoys have that little feud of theirs."

Sirius sighed, looking out over the fields. There were vegetable patches, a rather substantial vineyard, and numerous other plots. A nice view of the distant mountains and even of the small village at the bottom of the foothills completed the extensive property.

"Mr. and Mrs. P make a lot of their money from their amazing Elf-Made Wine. Mrs. Potter tried paying the elves for their work, but they refused to take the gold. There's also their inheritances, and the numerous Potter investments. The Potter family is an old one. Of course, their state of financial affairs doesn't keep them from being Aurors." He grinned roguishly.

"You seem to know a lot about them." Bridget gave him a slightly curious look. "Do you normally stay with James over the summer? Mrs. Potter mentioned both of you, rather than just him."

"Yeah," a bitter look crossed Sirius' handsome face. "My family sort of…Well, it's a long…Ah, never mind." He gave them a slightly longing look. "You'd never understand anyway." He angrily stuck his hands in his pockets and stalked away. Bridget stared after him, turning to Kagumi only after she heard a distant door slam; she turned to her friend.

"Um…I did something stupid again, didn't I?"

"My guess is that he's afraid you'll judge him…Who knows? He's a gu--"

A twig cracking caught Kagumi's ear and in a single second, she had pulled Bridget behind her, and was quickly reaching for a gardening tool that lay in a nearby basket. Bridget huffed when Kagumi froze, unmoving. Kagumi's stiff back unsettled her, so she peeked her head around. An unruffled Remus Lupin had his wand pointed straight at Kagumi, the pair's eyes locked on each other.

"Hola Remus, that's an awful nice wand you got."

"Slowly move out from behind me," Kagumi didn't spare Bridget a look, as her green eyes were locked on Remus' golden ones.

"But--"

"Do it!" Kagumi murmured. She slowly eased up, eyes still locked on the boy's as he made to take the soil-encrusted shovel away from her. "What are you doing?" she asked as she pulled it out of his grasp.

"I could ask the same of you, Miss," his eyes narrowed. "I'm watching you. Oh, don't look so shocked. Do you honestly think that any of us, save Mr. and Mrs. Potter, really trust you?"

"Why? Do you have a reason not to trust us?" Kagumi asked carefully, wishing suddenly that she had her brothers to help her out of this mess. A wave of homesickness washed over her, but she set it aside for later examination as she stared into golden eyes.

"Oh, Merlin…Let's see. What could a sweet little angel like you have _possibly_ done?" He raised his left hand, and began ticking off things on his fingers as he spoke. "You show up in the middle of the night, dressed only in pajamas. You then proceed to throw things, hit all of us at least once, feign ignorance of magic, fall out of a closet, and then worm your way into staying here for the summer. Do I really need to elaborate?" he asked grimly.

"Please do," Kagumi replied with a scowl, "As all of that's circumstantial."

"You know, Gumi, he does have a point. It's all rather suspicious. Although, why in heaven's name would we show up in pajamas. I mean, that's going a bit far," Bridget said thoughtfully. Remus and Kagumi both turned to her incredulously, Remus with suspicion tempering his anger, and Kagumi just with anger.

"_What_?" Kagumi poked her in the stomach with the shovel.

"He has a point. It is very suspicious. We were just _abandoned _at some stranger's house in the middle of very tense times. _I'm _suspicious and I _know _we don't have any ill intentions." She frowned at the garden tool currently dirtying the borrowed robe. "Are you threatening me with a spade? Are you seriously threatening me with a _spade? _You couldn't even pick something pokey? For the love of God, do you think I'm that lame? I can defend myself against a stupid _spade! _Jesus Christ, I've trained with guys three times my size."

"Trained?" Remus asked, narrowing his eyes.

Bridget didn't notice. "Yeah, martial arts and the like." She shrugged. "It's normal in Hawaii, kinda like joining a little league, or soccer team. I never quite had the interest or discipline to take it very far, though.

"_However_, I have some issues with your points, too," Bridget said, frowning. She, unknowingly mimicking Remus, counted her points off on her fingers as well. "We had no control over either time or attire, as we were expecting to, I dunno, go to _bed. _I never threw a thing other than my fist. Gumi never hit Sirius or James, _I _hit Sirius and once that was an accident, and James went unharmed (physically at least) by us. We never feigned ignorance of magic to my memory, and falling out of a rather small closet we were _pushed _into has nothing to do with anything. We had nothing to do with the summer thing: I would've been perfectly fine exploring Hogwarts without interruption this summer, and in fact I'm starting to think that I may enjoy it even more."

Remus put away his wand, and gave the two girls a level look. "Don't lie to me."

"I don't like lying," Bridget said with a frown, seemingly ignorant to the obvious warning in his voice. She gave him an equally level look, revealing that she did know exactly what he was inferring, and, perhaps, even more. Her tone, however, remained light and conversational. "It's so difficult to keep up with, and, personally, I tend to be rather trusting so it upsets me. I also tend to dislike liars."

Bridget smiled brightly as he walked away. "Bye, Remus." She frowned once he was far enough away. "I think I did something stupid again."

Kagumi just put her hand to her face, and sank to the ground, using a nearby fence post for support. Her knees drew up to her chest, and her arms automatically locked around them; the shivering began not long after. Bridget gave her friend an uncertain look, rather uncomfortable with the sudden change in demeanor.

"I want my brothers…" Kagumi mumbled, fighting back tears. "This can't be happening…It's all a dream, and I'm going to wake up and help raise my brothers, and deal with my father, and work my jobs…I am _not_ in Wizarding Britain, I did not just threaten my friend with a shovel, we did not offend Sirius Black and I did not just argue with Remus Lupin."

Kagumi rocked back and forth, shivering even in the warm summer air. There were goose-bumps on her bare arms, and her knuckles were white. Without a strong "rock" to lean on, such as her father or her brothers, Kagumi was left vulnerable. Her greatest fear was being left alone, and here she was, not only in the semi-distant past, but also in a completely different world!

Sudden anger at their so-called "allies", Cordan and Raminus flooded her veins, for leaving them stranded here, alone and with no idea of how to get home. The more she tried to calm down, the angrier she got. Her confused feelings finally had a target, and they weren't about to relinquish that hold anytime soon. Kagumi's eyes got a slightly glazed look about them, as she stared at the gardening basket not too far in front of her.

A house-elf scurried by, moving as Bridget waved it on down to the veranda, before calling it back. For the split-second that Bridget's head was turned towards the elf, the basket burst into flames, which crackled merrily in the warm air. Bridget spun around, nearly losing her balance and throwing out her hands to catch herself as she fell to the ground.

"What the hell?" she shouted, wide-eyed and sprawled on the ground, and, just as suddenly as it had gone up in flames, the fire was out, leaving behind charred remnants. Bridget stared at the smoking remains and her outstretched hand (Which was hovering in the air somewhat) before drawing it back.

"Mistress Griffins called Melan?" a nervous voice asked from her side. She jumped.

"Um, yes, but, um, I've seemed to forgotten why… so, yeah, you can go back to doing whatever it was you were doing before. Sorry." Bridget turned to Kagumi.

"Did you just do that?" the two girls asked simultaneously.

"I don't know," they both answered.

Bridget chuckled weakly, still holding her arm to her chest protectively. "Right…"

"Girls?"

"OhmyGod!" Bridget gasped, jumping. She gave James a slightly admonishing look. "Don't _do _that; you scared me half to death."

"Sorry," he replied. "Mum sent me to get you; Remus and Pete are leaving. Remus' mum is here to make sure he 'gets home safe and sound.'" He grinned at them. "She's a bit protective of him."

* * *

Kagumi stood between James and Sirius, with Bridget on the other end of the short queue. Remus was standing near the door, watching his mother somewhat dispiritedly, looking distinctly peaky. There were bags and darks circles under his eyes; the pallor of his skin made Remus look like he hadn't properly slept in two days or more. And of course, the unfortunate thinness that came with Remus' condition wasn't helping his "healthy" look. Funny how she hadn't noticed the pastiness of his face when they were standing off in the sunlight. 

Kagumi briefly wondered why Remus was leaving, seeing as if her calculations were correct, it was just barely after the New Moon…_Remus should be in perfect health, and yet he's looking like tonight is…Full Moon!_ With a panicked look, Kagumi sought and found Jet's eyes, not seeing any of the alarm she knew was shown on her own face. Remus' mother stepped forward into Kagumi's field of vision, briefly shaking hands with the Potter parents (who had apparently just arrived), then stepping back to stand by Remus.

The woman was small; even Kagumi was bigger than Remus' mother. She had the look of someone slightly unhealthy, but not by choice; much like Remus looked at that moment. Her light brown hair (the same hair the Remus had inherited, Kagumi noticed vaguely) fluttered in the light wind from the open door. Oval glasses were perched on her nose, while her thin hands checked absently on Remus' temperature and basic vital signs.

_This woman must be a Healer or something, the ways she keeps absently checking things, as if she's used to it…Though Rem doesn't look to happy about it…wait. When the hell did I start referring to him as "Rem"? _Kagumi thought to herself. She shook her head, and went back to watching the interactions. The woman she was watching wasn't distinctively pretty. She wasn't beautiful, really, and would probably fade into the background of most any crowd; that is, until you saw her eyes. Her eyes were the same as Remus', an almost magical combination of light and gold. _No wonder his eyes stunned me when I looked at him…_ His mother's eyes were almost glowing, giving her a preternatural loveliness that captured the eye. But when she turned away, the moment was gone.

Kagumi sighed deeply, resigning herself to the madness that currently surrounded her. _Somehow, I have to wonder if I have truly gone insane…_She stepped forward, still lost in her own thoughts, as Vivian Potter gestured to Jet and her friend. Remus' mum narrowed her eyes, and stepped forward to look the taller girls in the eye. Remus looked down guiltily and he stepped forward.

"Mum, this is Kagumi Pheonix. Miss Pheonix, this is my mother, Veronica Lupin." Kagumi smiled.

"What a nice name, Mrs. Lupin." Veronica stepped backwards, surprised at the sincerity that the girl offered. Quickly rethinking, Veronica forced a smile and looked to Remus. He pointed to the other girl, the one with brown hair.

"That's Bridget…Griffins, I think?" At Kagumi's nod, he lowered his hand, hiding it quickly in a fold of his robes.

"Hola!" the brown haired girl said, smiling brightly at everyone, once again seemingly ignorant to the heavy atmosphere of the room. "Yo es—"

Kagumi sighed, "Will you stop speaking Spanish, Jet?"

The other girl looked disappointed for a moment before her face lit up again. "Aloha 'auinala. ' O Pilikika ko'u ino—"

"English, if you will," Kagumi interrupted.

Bridget's face dropped and she gave her friend an imploring look. "But, Gumi—"

"En-glish."

"Yes'm." She perked up again, and smiled at Veronica, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lupin. I'm Bridget Ashlyne, or Jet, or a variety of other names I'd rather not go into."

The woman smiled back, although it wasn't nearly as innocently happy as Bridget's own grin. "The pleasure's all mine. But, if you don't mind of course, I do have a few…_questions_ I'd like answered." At Kagumi's nod, Veronica launched into her questions with all of the authority of a Healer dealing with an uncooperative patient.

"How did you say you got here? It seems a bit odd that you're so far from home; home of course, more than likely, being America, though you do such a wonderful job of appearing British," she said, trying not to sound too suspicious. _With everything that the Death Eaters have been responsible for at St. Mungo's. I trust no one except those that I know, _she thought to herself, _and know well._ The black haired girl stepped forward, making an effort not to fidget with her borrowed robes; she brushed the strands of blue back from her hair, and sighed before looking Mrs. Lupin in the eye.

"Mrs. Lupin, I would like nothing more than to go home right now. You have _no_ idea how out of place I feel here. Our brothers are in so much trouble, as my (and Jet's, incidentally) being here is the result of a prank-gone-awry. I'm guessing they mispronounced a spell; after all, Latin is hard to say correctly sometimes.

"You see, Mrs. Lupin, Bridget and I were on vacation here in Britain; yes, we _are_ from America."

"Actually, I'm from Hawaii," Bridget said. Kagumi gave her a strange look until Bridget's eyes widened in understanding and her cheeks turned pink. "Oh, right, part of America, 50th state and all. I always forget; my family confuses me _so _much." She gave Gumi a weak smile and motioned vaguely with one hand. "Continue, my dear."

Kagumi turned back to Mrs. Lupin, "_Anyways, _our families were staying together, as both families are rather close, and it also cut down on monetary needs. Our brothers got together, or so I would assume, and decided to play a prank. Imagine how you would feel, Mrs. Lupin, were you to wake up in a completely unfamiliar place in these dark times, in only your PJs with a bunch of teenage _guys _there." Kagumi silently gave thanks that all those unwanted acting classes had taken some sort of root in her brain, as she put just the right amount of disgust into the word 'guys'. Vivian laughed somewhat uncomfortably, and looked at the younger mother, trying desperately to break the heavy tension; at any moment, she thought, there was bound to be wandfire.

"Won't you stay for tea, Veronica?" Mrs. Potter asked delicately.

"Oh no," Veronica answered immediately, still looking in caution at the two Americans. "No, I'm afraid we absolutely must be going."

"Yes, yes, of course, but you must come by some time."

"Bye, guys," Remus said to his fellow Marauders before turning, somewhat awkwardly to the defiant Kagumi and the... well... Bridget. "Bye, Kagumi, Bridget. I hope we get to know each other better next time."

"Bye Remus," the two girls intoned as Bridget waved cheerily. And so, with a couple of small _pops _the two Lupins were gone.

"Well, Peter has already left, so it's just the six of us," Mr. Potter said after a few moments of silence.

"I'll have the Elves bring us biscuits and milk," Mrs. Potter added before she bustled off, assumedly to the kitchens. "Wait in the Dining Room!" she called back.

The five of them made their way to the aforementioned room, Mr. Potter leading the way, whistling a cheerful tune to himself, followed by Sirius and James, who were muttering to each other, looking rather glum, with Kagumi and Bridget trailing behind.

Bridget was giving Kagumi a look the girl had never seen before. "Yes?"

"That little speech of yours wasn't very polite!" she said, sounding rather annoyed. "We're at the mercy of these people's whims! Well, that's not very worrying, to be quite honest, they're rather nice. But, that's not the point! Didn't I already _mention _being _nice _to the _kind _and _generous _people giving us some _unearned _trust here?"

She continued to give Kagumi the same look, still steaming, with her hands on her hips. Kagumi looked back blankly. "Um, no?"

"Really?" The glare was gone, replaced by a surprised then pensive look. "Oh, I must've only said it in my head." She shrugged. "Sorry, I meant to tell you. Now you know." She clapped her friend on the shoulder and walked on briskly, catching up with the two boys.

Kagumi stared after Bridget, who was now having something animatedly described to her by Sirius. She didn't think that she would _ever _understand her friend's thought process or her somewhat violent mood swings.

* * *

Mr. Potter was attempting valiantly to keep up the conversation. He sent a glare towards his sulking son, before smiling at the two girls. "So what do you two do for fun? Do you keep up with Quidditch? I know it's not as popular in the States." 

"No, we don't, sadly," Kagumi replied politely.

"We've never flown on a broomstick, actually," Bridget added as she bit into a cookie, or biscuit, whichever name you prefer.

_Pfft! _The table was suddenly covered in milk. Bridget looked sadly at the ruined cookies. "Aw..."

"You've. Never. _Flown?" _James asked jerkily, looking surprised and slightly sick.

"No, Gumi's dad's a bit overprotective, and I," the girl grinned, "Well, I like to go fast and do stupid stunts, and my parents didn't want me to kill myself... or someone else, I've never really been sure which." She gave a dramatic sigh. "Therefore, we have never felt the joy that comes with flying. Quite unfortunate."

"Son," Mr. Potter said, looking, once again, just like his son, "There are extra broomsticks out back. Go now."

"Warwick..." Mrs. Potter's voice carried a tone of warning, which apparently went unheeded.

"No, Vivian, this is a serious matter. These girls cannot go to Hogwarts without learning how to fly. James, go."

"Yes, sir," James replied. He and Sirius stood up simultaneously and each boy all but picked up a girl. "Come on."

"But, the - -" Bridget muttered.

"Leave the biscuits, Bridget," Sirius said. He grinned at her. "You two get to have the best flyers in the school teach you how to fly; once in a lifetime opportunity."

* * *

They made their way out the backyard, past the maze, to what looked to be a large Quidditch field. James and Sirius disappeared into a shed and emerged with two broomsticks each. James placed one in front of Bridget, who looked at it curiously, and Sirius placed another in front of Kagumi. 

"Okay," James begun, "first thing you do is put your hand over the broomstick and say - -"

"Up!" The two brooms flew straight into the girls' outstretched hands, and they gave the boys almost identical amused smiles.

"Right, up." James looked at them suspiciously. "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

"Yes," Gumi replied. "Just because we've never flown doesn't mean that we don't know _anything._"

"Right then, well I'll take Bridget, and you'll take Kagumi, then, Pads?"

Sirius shrugged. "Sure."

And, so, they split up to tackle the horrendously difficult task known as 'teaching.'

James was quickly learning that Bridget was, well, a quick learner.

"Okay, so straddle the broomstick and kick off lightly, if you do it too hard, you'll go too fast and too high. Once you're more experienced you can do that." He finished his speech only to find that she was no longer standing in front of him.

"Um, James," she said a bit nervously. He looked up; she was hovering about seven or so feet in the air. "I don't know what to do next... a little help, please."

He swung his leg over the broom and kicked off, enjoying the feel of the late afternoon air. He turned so he was hovering near her. "To move forward—"

"You lean forward on the broom, turn by pushing the handle in the direction of choice, pull up and you go up, push down and you go down, brake by pulling back on the handle." She smiled sheepishly at the boy, who was openly gaping at her; she had demonstrated everything rather well for a first-timer. "I watched you." She frowned suddenly. "Wait, I have a question... what's the difference between ascending and braking? Both have you pulling up. I mean, obviously, I must've done it well enough, seeing as I didn't crash into you, but I like to know the mechanics of things like this."

He shook his head to clear it, finally back in his element. "Well..."

Meanwhile, Sirius and Kagumi were also already in the air, and Kagumi found that it was easier than she had originally thought. After all, Philosopher's Stone didn't give much of a description of flying, as the entire series is generally Harry-centric and _he _happened to find that flying came naturally. The reader was left to figure out and piece together what she may from Quidditch matches and other flying experiences.

However, given that yesterday Kagumi had never thought of flying on a broomstick was real or even believed that magic could actually happen, she felt that she was doing pretty well. In Sirius' eyes, she was doing very well, even to a seasoned flier such as him. She had automatically grasped the difference in braking and ascending, which was rare. From the moment she had mounted the broom, her posture and handgrip had both been correct, and she had pushed off with the perfect amount of force.

_I'm not sure that I believe that she hasn't flown before,_ Sirius thought to himself. _She moves too expertly, even if she doesn't see it herself. No one can hide the truth when they're flying…It's always evident if they know what they're doing or not; it makes sense; because you can't hide the way your body reacts. And hers reacts too well to be a beginner._

Kagumi soared, easily braking and doing a full 180 turnabout to face Sirius. She smiled, practically glowing. "Sirius, this is amazing…I've never felt so… free." Sirius smiled, knowing exactly what she felt. His own mother had never let him touch the family brooms, because he was the Black Family heir (Well, until he was blasted off that horrid tapestry) and it was too 'dangerous.' It wasn't until he met James, and had the first year flying lessons that he'd known what it was like.

"You're doing well, Kagumi. Are you sure this is the first time you've flown?" he said it as a joke, and was rewarded with a look of confusion.

"Of course. Why would I lie to you?"

He shrugged noncommittally when her look of confusion was quickly replaced by laughter. As he turned around, Sirius suddenly felt like he was back in his father's trick closet, in the drawing room, where brown robes had tried to strangle him when he was six. Long brown hair blew in the wind, and Jet swung in front of him, her face about four inches from his own. "I think I'm getting the hang of this!"

In shock, Sirius felt himself sliding off the end of his broom and, in response, began to flail. Feeling his fingers locking around the nearest thing, which curiously wrapped back around his fingers, he grabbed it and held on. "Ow!"

Sirius hit the ground first, with a sharp **thud** that knocked the wind right out of him. But it was Bridget's landing on top of him that caused him to pass out, from an elbow to the head. Kagumi roared with laughter, not because it was funny, (though it was…a little…in a horrifying sort of way) but because it was the only way she could stop herself from diving down there and making sure they were both alright.

James dived and crashed on the ground, running as he pulled the broomstick from between his knees and pulled his wand from his pocket. He dropped to Sirius' side and muttered something under his breath. Kagumi landed gently on the ground next to her friends, just in time to see Sirius' eyes snap open. He looked a bit muddled.

The last thing Sirius remembered was Bridget falling him, and he immediately bolted up to see if she was alright. Unfortunately, Kagumi had been in the process of leaning over him and their faces collided. Sirius felt his nose break against her forehead, for the second time that week, and cursed. "Dammit!"

She fell backwards, next to Jet (who lay on her side, sleeping peacefully and looking deceptively innocent) and started laughing again. James healed Sirius' nose with a flick of his wand, and sat back after reawakening Jet.

"Are you crazy?" was the first thing out of Sirius' mouth.

"Um, yup," Bridget replied, although she had no idea what he was referring to. Her eyes widened innocently as she looked at him and her face lit up with excitement. "Oh, I want to do that again!"

She began to stand up, but Sirius pulled her back down, "Oh no, I don't think so. You almost gave me a concussion, who knows what'll happen next time."

"But, I _like _flying. It's so…" she trailed off, eyes shining, as she stared into the sky, "Fast, awesome, free, liberating, and etcetera." She waved her hand dismissively with the last word.

"Why don't we play a round of Quidditch?" James suggested. When six skeptical eyes turned to him, he continued speaking, "I mean, like we do when it's just the four of us, Sirius. Two on two, one beater and one chaser/keeper on each team, first to five goals wins."

"I'm up for it," Kagumi replied, standing now with the borrowed broomstick in her hand, deciding to save her question until later.

"Yup, me too," Bridget added.

"You two shouldn't be on the same team," Gumi pointed out to the best friends, not waiting for Sirius' acceptance. "It's not fair, you're like brothers, and you've played for years. This is our first day."

James shrugged. "If that's what you want… you and I can pair up, and Sirius and Bridget can be a team." He turned to Gumi, "Ready for some strategy?"

Bridget and Sirius watched the two walk a bit farther away. Bridget scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "So, shall we strategize?"

"I'm more of a make-it-up-as-you-go-along sort of guy, actually, but if you want—" he was cut off by Bridget's relieved sigh.

"Thank God," she muttered. "I'd rather not have to remember anything right now, my brain's a bit addled, too much excitement and all that rot."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kagumi and James stood in the shade of a large tree and planned under their breath. "So…Aim a little to the left of the Bludger, seeing as they like to target the Beaters more than the Chasers. And…Watch how you swing your bat, mainly because the handle is a bit slick from all the years we've had it - -" 

"- -James - -"

"- -Oh, and watch that broom, it likes to tilt if you go up too high, and we just haven't gotten a replacement. And don't worry about hitting towards the goalposts, Sirius and I are used to knowing how to dodge - -"

"- -James! - -"

"- - Do you need me to trim your twigs? Oh, that came out all wrong. I mean your broom's twigs? They look a little frayed and I don't want to get you hurt. Here, let me show you a little charm I invented a while back - -"

"JAMES!"

"What?" He looked stupidly at the short girl, who was looking at him in an unnerving manner.

"James, it's okay. I'm used to playing sports. We've got our strategies. I'll play Beater. So… Let's just play," Kagumi said, feeling very much like she was talking to her brothers again; another pang of homesickness washed over her, but she kept the waves at bay by thinking of interesting Beater strategies. She instead followed her teammate out onto the field.

* * *

"Are you ready to lose, yet?" James called from the center of the field, foot tapping impatiently. Kagumi was shaking her head to herself. 

"Sirius, your friend is extremely confident in his abilities. Is he really that good?"

He gave her a small smile, "I've heard it put worse, but, yeah, he's…He's good." He stood up and stretched out a hand to help Bridget up as well. "Beater or Chaser?" he asked.

"Um… Chaser, I think. Like I mentioned before, my brain is addled, my attention span isn't as great as it should be. Five minutes and you'll be on the ground with a bloody nose… again." She frowned. "I really am sorry."

He snorted in amusement. "It's okay. I'm fine now."

"You two took long enough!" James said as soon as they reached him. His hands were on his hips with the broomstick clutched in one fist. Put an apron on him and he would've looked like an annoyed housewife. "I want to finish kicking your arses, already."

"In your dreams, Potter," Sirius responded with as much fervor as his friend.

Bridget edged towards Kagumi. "I can _taste _the testosterone in the air," she muttered with an ironic grin.

"It's interesting at least." The two girls talked between themselves.

"Nah, Black, in my dreams I have some _real _competition."

"Hmm…" Bridget tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Clever comeback, and rather quickly shot, at that; you think they've done this before?"

Gumi shrugged. "Probably." She raised her voice slightly so the bickering males could hear her. "Do you think we can, I dunno, _start _the _game?" _

"Brilliant idea, Kagumi," James said. He smirked at Sirius as he slung an arm around her shoulders. "At least _my _teammate has brains, Black."

"Well, _mine's _hot," Sirius shot back.

"Gumi, are they making assumptions about me?" Bridget asked her friend politely, ignoring the two boys completely.

"I believe so; and incorrect assumptions, at that." She frowned. "Well, James' one, Sirius' was rather accurate."

"Should I be insulted?"

"Probably not. After all, James is but a teenage boy; hormones control his every thought; same with Sirius. It might be more interesting if you were insulted, though, possibly hurt."

Bridget gave her a thoughtful look before nodding decisively. "I have given much thought to your suggestion, my dear Kagumi, and I believe that that would be the more interesting reaction. Shall I begin now?"

"It would be most prudent. Please, do hurry; this whole thing is becoming rather tiring."

"As you wish." Bridget turned to James, suddenly looking absolutely devastated with wide, tearful eyes, and a slightly trembling chin. Her whole body posture changed, her shoulders dropping and her arms wrapping around herself. Overall, the transformation was startling, as even her normally perky ponytail seemed to droop in depression. "Do you _really _think that, James? I mean, I know I can be a bit dim at times, but…"

He stared back, also with wide eyes, although his seemed to be wide out of fear rather than good acting; he also seemed to have forgotten the conversation that had just taken place between the two girls. She looked down uncertainly, brow furrowing, as she bit her bottom lip, her chin still quivering, and his chivalrous Gryffindor side took over (aided by his mother's lectures on how to properly treat the opposite sex). "No, of course I don't. I mean—"

"You have insulted the lady's honor," Sirius interrupted. He stepped forward and eyed his opponent. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"Challenge—"

"Quidditch!" Kagumi shouted. "Just settle via Quidditch!" The other three teenagers looked at her. "We've just spent the last 15 minutes avoiding it; do you think we could start the game?"

"Okay," Bridget responded. She was cheerful again, her ponytail having regained its former perkiness.

James released the Bludgers and Kagumi and Sirius took off, each clutching a Beater's Bat. Bridget and James were hovering at the center of the field, in starting position. The Quaffle was hovering above them, waiting for the spell that would let it drop, and signal the game's start.

"Ready?" James asked, grinning at his counterpart.

Bridget grinned back, a familiar glint in her eye. She had grown up on sports (an effect of living in such an outdoorsy place, her tomboy nature, and having mostly guys as childhood friends) and was rather competitive, not even Kagumi had seen her _really_ play anything. Besides, she had a new toy, and she wanted to see what it could do. "More than you can imagine."

He made a gesture with his hands and the Quaffle dropped. As soon as it begun to fall both she and James flew towards it. Bridget leaned forward on the broom dangerously and caught it with the tips of her fingers. As soon as she had the ball in her hand she pulled it towards her body, an automatic reaction after playing years of football, and one she was glad for as James _just _missed stealing it away from her.

She swerved around and shot down towards the three hoops, dodging one Bludger (and an apologetic Sirius), and being outstripped by James. He was circling the goals seconds before she reached them. She pulled her arm back and threw the ball, using the momentum of flying to give it more power.

He barely caught it, not that it would have even made it into the hoop; her aim was a bit off. James was almost at his team's currently unprotected goals when Kagumi shot down directly to his left, hitting away a Bludger that had _almost _hit him. Unfortunately, that left his right side completely open and Sirius took the opportunity to hit the other Bludger that way. James jerked back to avoid it, both hands now on his broom, and the Quaffle falling to the ground.

Bridget shot down, mere moments before James could manage to do the same. She, once again, leaned forward and caught the Quaffle, this time; however, she overbalanced and flipped over, doing the flying equivalent to a cartwheel. Straightening out, she flew back to her side of the field and threw the ball once again. This time it hit its mark. Kagumi was off to the left of the goals, toying with a Bludger that had flown too near. Suddenly, she hit directly towards the other Bludger, which was heading directly for James. Sirius shot her an appraising look as he passed. "Nice move!"

The game continued with four goals from James and five near-hits. Bridget wasn't so lucky; she only had two additional goals and seven misses. The close calls with the Bludgers were too numerous for any of the players to keep track of. Unfortunately, they also seemed to have a hard time keeping track of the Bludgers themselves.

Bridget had the Quaffle yet again, James having just scored another goal for his team, and was streaking towards her side of the field faster than she had before (apparently losing made her want to test her boundaries even _more _than merely her adventurous tendencies did). Kagumi swung her bat hard, hearing the strangely satisfying _thwack_ of a Bludger well hit. Bridget glanced behind her, looking for her opponents.

James was, luckily, behind her quite a bit (Sirius was having fun with the Bludgers) and she pulled back her arm to swing, catching a glimpse of one of the large black balls out of the corner of her eye. She had a second to decide: make the goal and get hit, or dodge the dangerous ball.

In Bridget's mind, there was really only one choice.


	7. Human Nature and Ruined Plans

Alright, my lovely little friends. I know, I know, we're a bit late. But not too much, only a day...or two. Anyways. As you all know, Deathly Hallows has come out, and we're just trying to correct our storyline to that. But still, we will be still be churning out the new stuff. All we ask is for a little patience. Thanks much, and enjoy the newest chapter of D.I.N. ** Kagumi**

* * *

Bridget woke up to a dull pain in her torso and someone shouting her name. 

"Will you shut the hell up already?" she muttered. "You're giving me a headache."

"Oh my God, you're awake!" a feminine voice (Kagumi, she belatedly realized) said in a worried voice. "I'm so sorry; I thought you would dodge it." Her voice took a slightly angry tone, "Why _didn't _you dodge it? I know perfectly well you _saw _it!" Blearily, she saw Kagumi standing over her, hands on hips, looking furious.

Bridget sat up and poked her stomach experimentally. She winced as pain shot across the entire area. "I wanted to make the goal. I think I'm only a bit bruised, though; that's what it feels like. Definitely no cracked or broken ribs, and that's what I'd be worried about." She grinned up at her friend. "That was _so_ awesome." She suddenly sat up straighter and her eyes lit up. "I wanna do it again."

"You're crazy," Gumi deadpanned, managing to sound only slightly exasperated with her friend.

Bridget sighed with a roll of her eyes, and spoke in an almost bored voice, examining the rest of her body for injuries as she did so, "We've been over this already today, Gumi; of _course_ I'm crazy. Always have been, and always will be. There really isn't anything you can do about that." She gave Kagumi an amused smile. "You never knew I was that competitive, did you?"

"No, I didn't! I thought you were _sane _about that sort of thing. I _thought _I got enough competition from my brothers, who can turn _anything_ into a competition!"

"Hah, that's not competition; you obviously haven't been to any Griffins 'Ohana Gatherings." Bridget gave Kagumi a pointed look. "Now those can get downright scary—especially considering the fact that I'd like to feed most of them to the sharks (both literally and figuratively, I'm not picky) but can't." She sighed wistfully. "Alas, I am not allowed to and, as I don't wish to be yelled at after _every _G.O.G. event, I settle for beating them to a pulp in every single thing I can (figuratively, not literally… unless we're boxing or playing football or something of that sort).

Jet waved her hand dismissively. "Anyways, I am _very _competitive when I want to be. Once in a pick-up football game I cracked three ribs, and injured my right arm so badly I couldn't write for two weeks; got the touchdown, though. The play went off without a hitch… well, except for that bit where I got tackled by three Samoan guys. That kinda hurt." Kagumi gave her an I-am-not-amused look and Bridget deflated a bit. "Well, it did. And I won the—" At the darkening look on her friend's face Jet stopped speaking. "I think I'm going to stop talking now."

"Okay, kids, I think that's enough for now," an older voice said. The four teenagers looked up; Mr. Potter was standing over them, looking quite proud. "My wife will kill me if she found out either of you girls got badly injured."

"What about _us?_" James asked in an affronted tone. "I'm her _son."_

"Yeah, and she loves me more," added Sirius.

"Vivian's always wanted a daughter, and you two are always getting injured," the elder Potter said, dismissively shrugging his shoulders. He bent down to examine Bridget's extraordinary bruises ("Isn't the coloring ace? Right… sorry, Gumi, I'm shutting up.") "We have some bruise healing potion to put on that in the Manor, but, first, supper. Up we go." Both he and Sirius pulled her into a standing position.

As soon as she was upright, they let go, but the girl swayed; apparently, the fall had winded her a bit more than anyone thought. Kagumi made to move forward, but, before she could do anything, Sirius took Bridget's arm again, steadying her.

"Perhaps you should help her back to the Manor, Sirius," Mr. Potter said. "Kagumi, James, and I will put all this away and meet you up there." He gave the boy a slightly worried look. "Just don't let Viv know; she's spent the last few hours worrying over you four, and she'll have my head if she finds out; pretend you were being well-mannered or something."

"Will do, Mr. P," Sirius said. They began their trek back to the Potter's residence. "Sorry I missed the Bludger."

"Nah," Bridget dismissed easily, "I could've dodged it simple enough, but I was being stupid. I have a tendency to do that at times." She grinned at him, and he noticed just how expressive her brown eyes were. Before they had subdued his best friend into almost apologizing, and now they were full of—amusement? "At least I didn't give you a bloody nose again."

* * *

Bridget sighed. Two rather loud voices could be heard from the kitchen, one of which belonged to Kagumi. 

"Mrs. Potter, I'm just trying to help!"

"Child, I don't need any help. I appreciate your offer, but really I can handle it!"

"Mrs. P, you took us in. The least I can do is cook dinner for you." Bridget sighed again, dropping her head into her hands. They'd been at this for at least half an hour. The half-hearted game of Rummy that James, Sirius and Bridget had begun had lost its charm; the cards were now arranging themselves absently into random shapes. Mr. Potter sat at one end of the table, hands in his hair, looking quite tired. Finally, he stood up and marched into the kitchen.

James and Sirius leaned over the table, half-expecting to see some Erumpents, or at least the two women holding butcher knives at one another. But no. They were severely disappointed to see that both Mrs. Potter and Kagumi were standing calmly near the fire, along with two or three frightened house elves. Vivian's face darkened considerably as she saw her husband strolling through the doorway, and Kagumi brightened just a bit.

"Honey, just let her cook dinner. It's our day off, and we should enjoy her gracious offer." Mr. Potter steered his wife out of the kitchen, and missed Kagumi's triumphant fist in the air. Jet, however, saw it, and discreetly hid a smile as Vivian and Warwick sat at either end of the table.

* * *

Kagumi gathered the two elves around her, keeping a wary eye on the frying pan filled with meat and vegetables. "Now, you two have helped me very much. And I thank you for that. But I need to know if you can do a couple of last things for me." 

"Yes, Mistress Pheonix. We tries to help, Miss."

"I know, Kasy. Thank you. Now." Kagumi looked seriously at the two elves. "Can you two go to the market at Diagon Alley, and buy two pounds of strawberries?"

"You'll have to ask Mistress Potter, Miss. We can't be leaving the house without hers permission, Miss; Not even for yous, Miss." Kagumi sighed deeply, before handing the elves four gold Galleons from the bag Ram, her 'brother,' had given her. Taking a deep breath, she exited from the kitchen and down the hall to the dining room. Vivian looked up as she entered, still wearing the apron over her robes.

"Mrs. Potter, I would like to send Melan and Kasy to Diagon Alley, to get some fruit for desert. May they leave to do so?" Vivian thought for a moment, and then nodded to the two elves. They disappeared with a sharp _crack_ and Kagumi went back into the kitchen to pull the potatoes off the steam.

"Dammit!"

"Kagumi?" Jet called back lazily before anyone else had a chance to do something.

"I'm fine! I just burnt myself a bit."

She turned the page of the Defense book she was currently reading. "You sure?"

"I'm fine, Jet. Don't worry. You know me, I'm always getting burnt."

"I don't like the sound of that…" Mrs. Potter stood up and managed to get a couple of steps before Warwick tugged on her arm to make her sit down. Jet laughed quietly, still mainly focused on her book.

"Nah, it's okay, Mrs. P. Kagumi _is_ always getting burned, but that's because she's not really careful." Bridget frowned thoughtfully, finally looking up from the fifth-year textbook. "I wonder why I never get hurt in the kitchen."

Vivian leveled Bridget with a stare. "That's not helping."

"Crud. I meant that she—" Bridget stopped speaking, realizing that she couldn't come up with anything that would really help. She sighed. "Just trust me, she's a good cook, and she knows what she's doing." This statement was followed, rather quickly, with a large crash from the kitchen, and another of Kagumi's patented, "Dammit!" yells.

Vivian turned to Bridget with a look that, on others, could have easily said, 'I told you so,' and Bridget turned around towards the kitchen door, almost upsetting her seat. "Gumi, you are _not _helping my case out here! Keep your voice down, dammit!"

* * *

Kagumi finished placing the last of the meal she had made onto its plate and turned to the nearest House Elf. "Melan, what was that Heat Reduction thing you did? I don't want the bowls to be too hot for them to touch." Melan waved her hands a bit and then the bowls were much less hot. They were just warm enough to retain the food's heat, but not hot enough that Kagumi couldn't carry them. 

Kagumi gave each elf a platter, and set two bowls on each platter; she herself carried a platter with two bowls and several small plates with toasted bread and butter on it. Without missing a beat, she passed the elves a hidden thumbs up sign. Kagumi bowed before Vivian, before setting a bowl and small plate of bread in front of her. Moving on quickly, Kagumi did the same with Mr. Potter and checked to see if everyone had a drink.

The Potter parents had a light white wine, while Kagumi herself drank milk. James and Sirius had a Butterbeer each, and Jet sipped on an ice water. Kagumi excused herself before she began eating and went back to the kitchen. Melan and Kasy jumped and turned around in surprise.

"Thank you guys so much for helping me. You were great." Kagumi smiled widely as the elves bowed low to the ground. "Oh, none of that. Come on. Up you get."

"Thanks you, Miss, for thanksing us!"

"You deserved it. There should be some Colcannon left over if you want to eat some; I'm not really sure about Elf culture…This is my first encounter with House Elves."

"Then, goes, Miss, and wes will fend for ourselves!" There were two pairs of hands at her back as the elves pushed her out the door and told her to go eat her own dinner…Yet, they did it politely. Kagumi smiled as she sat back at the table, only to find that Sirius' bowl was empty, and he was helping James empty his own when James wasn't looking. Mr. Potter laughed behind his hands at James' obliviousness, and Mrs. Potter frowned slightly, but it was all in amusement.

Jet looked at Kagumi. "Dude, we need to have a little talk about spice use."

"We do not! This is a traditional Irish dish. Get over it."

"Yes, I _know _that, and I'm traditionally Irish, but I also got some Spanish mixed in there somewhere. I'm guessing that's where I got my taste buds from. And then there's the fact that I grew up in Hawaii and you can really get any type of food there, especially if it's Asian or spicy for some odd reason."

"Is it not spiced enoug - -Oh! Onions! Sorry." She looked apologetically at Jet. "I used onions…I forgot. Dude, I can go fix something else very quick. I mean, I know that you hate onions…"

Jet looked down at the spoon and glanced back at her friend before she shoved a spoonful of Colcannon (luckily minus the onions, Kagumi noticed) in her mouth. After having a slight problem with swallowing (also known as choking), she grinned at Gumi. "Nah, I don't _hate_ them. I just… _dislike_ them. Don't worry about it; believe me, if I _hated _onions I wouldn't be eating, and I would've probably starved by now, considering my dad's cooking style. I can be stubborn like that."

"Don't I know it…" Kagumi muttered as she began eating her own, rather smaller, portion of dinner. Bridget spared a moment to look offended and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by—

"You don't like onions?" Sirius asked incredulously. Jet shook her head cautiously.

"Bad thing to say around him, Bridget. This one is so weird. He'll actually eat onions _by themselves_." James stressed this, as he thought it was absolutely revolting. Kagumi laughed.

"A man after my own heart. I used to eat onions with salad dressing as a child."

"Ew…" James and Jet spoke simultaneously before looking straight at each other and laughing. Sirius pulled out his wand (causing James, who was experienced in these situations to simultaneously pull out his wand and duck under the table).

"Sirius, no hexes at the table please," Mr. Potter (who was also quite experienced with similar situations) said wearily.

"I wasn't gonna hex them! I was gonna help Bridget," Sirius huffed. Mr. Potter rolled his eyes, but allowed Sirius to continue, as it would probably result in some sort of comedic relief.

"_Accio Jet's Onions!_" Several small onions flew out of the girl's bowl, and a moment later, Bridget followed.

She soared straight onto Sirius' lap a moment later, and his chair fell backwards, leaving Sirius flat on his back with his legs in the air and Bridget draped over him, his face a few inches away from her own.

Kagumi snorted milk up her nose, laughing as Jet turned bright red and picked herself up from the floor (it took a few moments longer than one would expect because of their awkward positions). Still slightly pink, Bridget helped Sirius brush the onions from his face while he shook out his Muggle shirt.

"I think you might need to work on your aim…" she said quietly.

"No, I think he got exactly what he wanted," James waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "A pretty girl on top."

Jet frowned. "I don't get it," she said simply, looking utterly confused before her eyes widened in understanding and her cheeks regained the bright red color she seemed so fond of lately. "Oh, nevermind, um, ew."

"I did not! Jeez, Prongs, I don't even thi…God, we're trying to eat here," Sirius said lamely, trying desperately to tame a blush that matched Jet's perfectly.

"I know th - - Hey!" James had gone to take a spoonful, but there was only a little left. "SIRIUS!" Sirius had to dodge the fork that James threw at his head and Kagumi's left ear narrowly avoided being pierced with a butter knife as she raised her head. Sirius was already trying to reach for another projectile.

After having had a moment to think about the problem, Jet had come up with a solution and it was this solution that stopped the apparently imminent eating utensil/food fight about to ensue and said, as innocent as could be, "You know, you probably just have to really focus on what you want… the command was possibly too ambivalent, what with my name in it and all. Isn't that what magic is? Fulfilling desire?"

Then she began to eat her de-onioned food, oblivious to everyone's curious looks. A short while later, when everyone's stomach was content (well, almost everyone's, James was still glaring daggers at Sirius for eating his food despite the fact that Jet had given him the rest of her half-eaten dish), Kagumi nipped back into the kitchen and brought out dessert.

James' complaints were forgotten as he gazed on the scrumptious looking-cakes piled on the tray. Sirius eyed the laden platter with hungry eyes and Kagumi thought that if she looked, she might be able to see a wagging tail. Mrs. Potter was speechless, though whether from shock or annoyance Kagumi couldn't tell; she severely hoped it was only shock. Jet was trying to talk to Sirius. And Mr. Potter looked very much like a schoolboy being told that he could go home early as they all dug into the dessert.

A few moments later…

"You know, Gumi, we have to have a talk about fruit—"

"_Bridget…_" Kagumi's voice carried a tone of warning that she could've borrowed from Minerva McGonagall, Sirius thought, as he and James both cringed instinctively.

"You're no fun; I was just messing with you."

"And here I thought you just wanted to end up on Sirius' lap again."

There was a short pause. "You should learn to sleep with your eyes open, Gumi, lest you wake up with no hair, blue skin, and pink clothes. It's been know to happen, especially when I'm involved."

* * *

"You did _what?"_ Bridget asked Sirius incredulously. 

"I turned the entire Slytherin team into owls," he said with a shrug and a grin, "Figured it might help them with their flying."

"And I'm guessing they didn't much like that, did they?" Jet asked riveted.

"No, though I can't imagine why not."

Jet and Sirius were sitting on the same sofa they had hid behind only the night before, a forgotten Wizard's Chess Set spread out before them, enthusiastically exchanging stories about both their recent and not-so-recent adventures. The forgotten chess pieces had begun their own reenactment of the second act of Shakespeare's Hamlet after Sirius' King-side bishop had tried to continue the game for the third time only to have Sirius mutter, "Not now, Queenie." The pawns fled from the queen's anger, and began to fight amongst themselves.

In front of the fireplace, James and his father were watching an old professional Quidditch game on some sort of miniature Quidditch pitch type contraption and analyzing it in a way that only enthusiasts (read: "obsessed people") could. Mrs. Potter was knitting something that looked like the beginning of a sweater… or a scarf… or a sock (she seemed to enjoy doing motherly things regardless of the results). Every once in a while she would look fondly at Bridget and Sirius, sigh and return to her knitting, smiling to herself.

Kagumi, however, was bored. She had already finished the Transfiguration textbook (_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration)_ James had threw at her (along with a rather dirty look) when she had first tried to drag Bridget away from Sirius' apparently riveting tales of mischief. But she wouldn't be diverted; Kagumi knew that she and Bridget had some very important things to discuss, and it would be nice if they could get to it before midnight; reading textbooks only used up so much brainpower, which left Kagumi to think about the things the two girls needed to discuss.

"Ah-hem." They ignored her (well, not so much ignored as didn't notice). "Jet?" They, again, didn't seem to notice her tactful interruption, but James did, and Gumi ignored his pointed look. "Bridget Ashlyne Kealo-whatever Griffins!"

Bridget noticed her this time, but reacted in a way no one expected. She let out a squeak and dove behind the couch, emerging a few seconds later with a sheepish smile. "Um, sorry about that." She glared at Kagumi. "I thought you were my aunt, you evil Wisconsin-dwelling psychopath."

"Why would you think I was your _aunt?"_

"Because you have the same accent, you lolo, and she always forgets my Hawaiian name after the first three syllables."

"You have relatives in Wisconsin?"

Bridget's eyes widened humorously, particularly because the couch hid everything below her oversized reading glasses to anyone but Sirius. "I have relatives _everywhere._" There were a few moments of silence before Kagumi started snickering. Bridget, having situated herself back in her previous seat, crossed her arms and began to pout, which did not help Kagumi at all. "Why are you _laughing at me? _Everyone is always _laughing at me _and half the time I haven't even done anything remarkably funny!"

"You looked like a five year old afraid of the monster in the closet," Kagumi explained kindly, although she still had on a wide smile.

"Have you met any of my relatives? That is, besides anyone I live with and my grandmother; they're all rather decent…though my Gran seems determined to marry me off as soon as possible."

Kagumi looked thoughtful for a second before responding, "Well, there was Kawe—oh."

"Exactly," Jet said sternly. "For the love of God, they're all like that, just with varying levels of commitment and stupidity."

"Sorry, Jet," she apologized.

Bridget took one look at her friend's apologetic face before deflating. "Oh, fine, whatever. Now, what did you want that you had to startle me so badly?"

"We have to talk about our current situation, and we have a bit of reading to finish." Bridget continued to give her a slightly confused look. "You know, our new books that we stayed in line for _hours _for."

"Oh! Right." She straightened up and smiled brightly at the shocked Sirius and confused Potters. "We'll be going off to bed now. Have a bit of reading to catch up with."

"You waited _hours _for a _book?" _James asked, horrified.

"Yeah, I love reading." The two girls left the room, chatting merrily as they left.

"Oh, she's such a charming girl," Vivian Potter said, letting the knitting needles fall to her lap. "Don't you agree, Sirius?"

Sirius made a vague sound of agreement before turning back to his mutinous chess set. "Oi, you," he poked the white queen, who was reenacting Lady MacBeth's famous 'out damned spot' speech, "Stop acting like my crazy mum."

* * *

"I want to change things," Bridget said as soon as her friend sat down on her bed, both now comfortably attired in the pajamas they had arrived in the evening before, with her long hair piled into a messy bun. She had finished reading the first book and had spent the last ten minutes pacing, waiting for her friend to finish her shower. 

Kagumi stopped in the middle of drying her long hair. "What?"

"I just read the first book—Harry's life sucks, Sirius' life sucks, Remus' life sucks, Lily and James are dead. I want to change it." Bridget looked at her friend, determination shown though her now-focused brown eyes, rather than her body language, which would seem to most to be rather relaxed.

"You _read the first book?" _Gumi asked, ignoring how Bridget's shoulders dropped and she rolled her eyes. "How long was I gone? Three hours?" This was, of course, an exaggeration as both girls were speed readers.

"Fifty minutes, you were taking your time." Kagumi's eyebrows went up questioningly and Bridget waved her hand, easily dismissing her unspoken inquiry. "I read fast and I've read the dang book so many times I was practically skimming the entire thing." Her eyes focused on her friend once again. "Now sit down, we have to talk. You're not only beating around the bush; you've managed to avoid it entirely."

Gumi sat with a heavy sigh, and Bridget decided it was time to talk again, mainly because she'd been going over her reasoning in her head repeatedly since she finished the book ten minutes previously. "Now, we know what will happen; not the specifics with them, but enough to know that it's not gonna be anywhere _near _pleasant. And, because we know all of _that_, we can do something to change it. We don't have to fix everything, but small, little things can do wonders. We can make things _better _for them. Peter, Snape, and Regulus don't _have _to be Death Eaters; Harry doesn't have to live without his parents; Lily and James don't have to die; Sirius doesn't have to go to Azkaban for a crime he _didn't _commit; Remus doesn't have to be _alone_."

"That's a low blow, Bridget," Kagumi whispered, wincing as though in pain.

Bridget continued as though she had not heard. "It can all be different."

Bridget was using her body to talk more than she normally did, her hands were gesturing with every word, and her face was lit up with passion, her eyes sharp and focused. Kagumi really didn't want to tell her that they couldn't just _change_ anything, at least not knowingly, not when she was this enthusiastic; especially since she herself wanted to do much more than that. Well, and there was the fact that she didn't want to make Jet angry.

Gumi had only seen her friend really upset once, and it wasn't something she wanted directed at her. She sank her face into her hands, mumbling words through her fingers; no matter how much she wanted to agree with Jet, she knew that someone had to take a rational stand. Finally she looked up, not bothering to shield her eyes from the emotions she was struggling against.

"Jet, we can't," she said simply.

Bridget frowned, seemingly confused and even a bit defensive, "What do you mean 'we can't'? Of _course _we can!"

"We can't change what's supposed to happen, Bridget," Gumi continued in a steady, soothing voice, one crafted to keep others calm (especially unpredictable, slightly irrational others). Unfortunately, Gumi didn't know that that particular voice had always rubbed Jet the wrong way. "It wouldn't be right. We have to let things happen like they're supposed to, like they do in the books."

"We—we can't let all that happen to them!" Bridget sputtered. "That'd be horrible. I liked them all when I first read the series, but I just can't sit by and watch as four best friends are torn apart by a war. I can't let people's lives be ruined like that when I know I can do something about it. I can't not help; not again." Her voice took on a pleading note, which only made Kagumi shake her head; she knew exactly how Jet felt, but someone had to be rational around here.

"We could make things worse. We could get them killed earlier, then there'd be no Harry to save the day, then Voldemort would win!"

"It doesn't matter. We could also make things better. We know how things happen and we have the ability to find out _why _they happened. We're both intelligent, we don't need grand gestures, small things can change the world. In Harry's world, Voldemort still could win, especially because we know this isn't just a book with a plot anymore. These are people's _lives_, Gumi. And these are people we both care about!" Jet looked down at the soft bedspread, completely missing the look of hurt in Kagumi's eyes.

"Messing with time is dangerous, Jet, and you know it. We can't knowingly go around messing with people; it's not right!"

Brow furrowed in thought, Bridget frowned. "Doing _anything_ is dangerous. We're in the middle of a war, if you hadn't figured it out yet, and we've managed to befriend some of the influential and central people in the war. The prophecy hasn't been made yet, Voldemort is still defeatable."

"There's too much risk."

"Not when there's so much hope." Bridget looked up defiantly.

The two girls were staring at each other intently, neither really willing to back down.

"I can't let them die," Bridget finally said, her voice thick with some unspoken emotion, one that hinted at something only the girl knew about, at least in this dimension. Kagumi shook her head one last time, before clutching her hand into a tight fist and turning away from her friend, not wanting her to see the tears she spilled.

Kagumi sighed before saying thickly, "You don't have a choice." The lie burned deep in her throat long after the words had faded.

* * *

"What—what are they doing?" Cordan sputtered as he looked down into one of the Viewing Glasses, used to look upon various worlds. He turned incredulously to his best friend. "Did you see what they just agreed to do? Agreed to _not _do?" 

"I believe they've single-handedly ruined our plan," Ram replied in an amused voice. "This doesn't bode well for us."

"They're not supposed to do that!"

"Of course not, but people always do unexpected things—it's human nature."

Cor spun around, flinging open the door to the broom closet he had declared theirs (not that anyone else really wanted it). "I have to go speak with them."

Before he could get far, however, Raminus grabbed the back of his robes and pulled him back into the room—er, closet. "Not just yet, Cor, let's see how they do on their own for a bit. If they haven't changed their minds, I'll see if I can get through to them. Besides, we have to speak with a dear friend of ours. You do remember our arrangement to see the Headmaster tonight?" Ram raised an elegant brow, knowing full well that his friend did remember.

Cor sighed in resignation. "Yes, yes, of course. Let's go."

* * *

"We have to go!" Bridget said suddenly, shooting up suddenly. 

Gumi blinked at her, half-asleep. "Huh?"

The two girls had fallen asleep discussing their full backstories: how they'd met, why they were in England, why their families couldn't retrieve them, anything they could think of. It had been exhausting work (especially because Jet had been almost unnaturally somber and focused, which freaked Kagumi out more than she would admit), but Bridget had abruptly remembered something right before she had let herself fall into a deep slumber.

"I left my notebook on the couch thingy," she said anxiously, eyes wide with fear. "Well, behind it, possibly underneath it, but we have to get it before someone else does."

"Why? It's just a notebook." Kagumi yawned widely, stretching her arms.

"_All _of my notebooks have HP scribblings in them. That was usually the first thing I wrote them in; it's also why I sucked at updating on schedule."

Gumi was wide awake, too, now. "Right, we have to go _now_."

* * *

After creeping through the large Potter House, they had safely rescued the book and were on their way back to their room when they met an unexpected obstacle; well, two unexpected obstacles. 

"Oomph!"

Bridget gulped before opening her eyes slowly. Crud, she was, once again, right on top of Sirius Black. This was becoming a habit for her.

"We really should stop meeting like this," he said softly, gray eyes twinkling.

"Sorry," Bridget muttered back, her face having turned a bright red color again. She scrambled off him and stood up. Once in a standing position, she felt much, _much _more comfortable.

"I like that shirt," James said, grinning at Bridget.

She crossed her arms over her chest, hoping that would alert him to exactly _where _he was staring. "You would."

"What're you two doing up so late?" Sirius asked. Kagumi noticed that both were fully dressed in Muggle clothes.

"We could ask the same of you," she replied the same time Bridget said, "Getting my book."

"That couldn't wait 'til morning?"

"Nope," Bridget replied with a smile, "I'm weird like that about my writings—hate leaving them out like that and I'm about as forgetful as a person can get. Gumi accompanied me to make sure I didn't get lost, which I do in my own house, sadly enough."

"What're you two doing up?" Kagumi inquired, looking openly at their attire.

"We're going to visit a friend," James said.

Bridget gave him a confused look. "At one in the morning?"

Sirius shrugged and gave the two girls one of his most charming grins. "He's an early riser."

"'He wouldn't be Remus, would he?" Kagumi asked slyly.

The boys gave Gumi suspicious looks. "Why would you say that?"

She shrugged. "Eh, he just seems the type. Well, tell him we said hi and that if he can drag his sickly-looking arse out of bed, I'll have breakfast waiting for him. Let's get going, Jet." She tugged on Jet's arm, and smirked at the boys over her shoulder. They watched as the faint traces of moonlight from the far-away windows turned her green eyes into cat-like slivers of mischief.

Kagumi pulled the now befuddled Bridget away from their newest friends. "Wait," Jet said, not bothering to lower her voice much, "I don't get what's going on." Kagumi whispered something to her and paused a moment, as if waiting for Bridget to digest the news, which, apparently, she did rather quickly. "_Oh_… I get it now." She grinned at James and Sirius. "Have a nice visit, boys; we'll cover for you if you go a bit late." And thus, the two Americans walked off, leaving the boys even more confused than they already were. Sirius leaned in towards James.

"Do you think they know?"

"Know what?" James turned towards Sirius, confused.

"About Rem, you ponce!" Sirius knocked James in the head once; James shook it off easily and resisted the urge to transform and wrestle his best friend to the ground. Instead, he waved nonchalantly, although his nose had detected far too much self-satisfaction in the girls' scents to be entirely happy; he instead pushed the heightened sensory information to the back of his mind, feeling eager at the opportunity to romp with his friends.

"Nah. They literally just met him; it took us _years_ to figure it out. Now come on, I want to get out of here before the Midnight Door Change."


	8. Death Eaters and Maps

**Disclaimer: **We don't own anything you recognize.

**Author's Notes: **I am so sorry about the lateness. I've finally returned, but both Gumi and I got distracted by Deathly Hallows. Then my mum's computer died on me when it was my turn to write... _so... _sorry. Yeah, well, the next chapter should be up in two weeks. Have fun reading. -Jet

* * *

Chapter Seven: Death Eaters and Maps

"That was _far_ too close for my liking," Kagumi whispered. Jet nodded fervently as she clutched the ragged notebook to her chest. They peeked around the corner, and, as they wound their way up the stairs five minutes later, Kagumi thought that she could just make out the outlines of a stag and a large dog fading into the night.

Struck by the sight for a moment, it was only Jet's urging that broke Kagumi from her trance, even after the two Marauders had faded from sight. Unwillingly, her thoughts flickered to Remus, and a stroke of brilliance hit her. _We could be the reason the Wolfsbane Potion is invented! We could help Rem! Dammit! Remus. Remus, Remus, Remus…Not 'Rem'…_ She thought excitedly, and hurried up the winding stairs to tell Jet, but stopped short outside of their room, her heart rapidly deflating.

_**Ah, but you were the one that had to be all rational!**_ A nasty little voice whispered in her mind; she flinched._** You had to be noble, and take the bookworm's stance on this instead of following your heart! You want to change things as much as Jet did! But **__**no**__**. You couldn't just trust your instincts this time, could you? **_Suddenly, Kagumi frowned. As she listened to the barrage of inner voices, she recognized the smooth, deep voice, and it brought to mind the picture of long, dark hair and green robes.

_Raminus!_ She thought the man's name furiously. _Get out of my head! I don't know who the hell you __**are**__, but…just stop messing wit my thoughts! They're quite mixed up enough, thank you!_ And with a strong mental image of a slamming door, Kagumi shut her thoughts and sank to the floor, weeping.

* * *

"What the–?" Raminus jerked back as though burned, and accidentally trod on Cordan's foot as they neared the gargoyles guarding the Headmaster's office. 

"What is it, Ram?" Cordan sounded very tired.

"She shut me out!"

"What?" The weariness vanished from his friend, as he leaned in and stopped walking. "Who did what?"

"I was trying to convince her that she took the wrong path in ruining our plan, and she literally shut me out!" Raminus fumed.

"_Who_?" Cordan all but wailed, looking at his angry friend.

"Kagumi. I was trying to get her to change her mind, and she…she…She pictured a door slamming in my face! More than that, she identified me by _name_! By _NAME_! _No_ human should be able to do that, witch or not! She literally blocked her thoughts! Can you believe that?"

"Kagumi?" Cordan asked. "You were trying to get through to her? And she blocked you?" In the light of the flickering torches, Cordan's face lit up with excitement. "Ooh, try Bridget now."

Raminus gave his obviously crazy friend an appalled look. "No! Why are you so happy?" he grumbled.

"Don't you see? She I.D.'ed you, _and_ blocked you, which means I'm almost positive that we've made the right choice!" Ram's eyes widened, and he joined hands with Cordan, jumping up and down. There was a subtle clearing of the throat, and the rightmost gargoyle looked shrewdly at the two men.

"Are you going to act like pansies all night, or are you going to go see the Head?" he croaked. Cordan and Ram both immediately stopped jumping, and straightened their robes hastily before facing the gargoyles.

"In the name of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, we command you to open," they said together, and the gargoyles sprang apart, revealing the very familiar sight of the slowly revolving staircase, which Raminus remembered, very clearly, his father carving for his dear Rowena.

He shook the memories from his head, and together, he and Cordan stepped onto the stairs. Soon arriving at the Head's door, Cordan reached his hand to use the knocker when Dumbledore's voice called, "Enter, boys."

Cordan looked at his friend. "I hate it when he does that."

The two men entered, with Raminus stopping to pet Fawkes for several seconds before sitting in one of the cushiony armchairs Dumbledore had thought to draw up for their arrival. The Headmaster himself was looking at them over a teacup. His blue eyes twinkled in the dim light of the midnight fire.

"So, two long-dead Heirs come to see a mere professor, may I ask the occasion? Your 'owl' didn't exactly specify." His voice was mischievous and Cordan shifted uncomfortably. Raminus, however, tried to decide where to begin.

"Why don't you start with how you disobeyed a direct order from your grandfather, Cordan?" Dumbledore sipped his tea as Cor looked at him, stunned.

"Uh…sure. Well, you see, there was this one lovely little plane where our world was a fictional series. And so, we used that plane to look for the ones the prophecy mentions. Our own lovely Rowena made that prophecy, back when she was very young, before Hogwarts was even founded. Of course, back then, it was all regarded as gibberish."

"Of course," Dumbledore repeated to his cup.

"Right," Cordan said, slightly unnerved. "So we scouted occasionally until we found these two girls: both of whom haven't had the easiest of lives, both of whom exhibited an unbelievable passion for this fictional series. One hid this almost-obsession rather well, lest anyone think her crazy. The other had strange dreams, and wrote them down as stories.

"The first wrote stories as well, but she kept these hidden from anyone and everyone except for her best friends, whom she knew she could trust as they were quite similar. This was Kagumi. Kagumi Ve'Linde Pheonix."

"And the other?" Dumbledore prompted softly.

"The other one, the one with dreams, was Bridget Ashlyne Kealohalanipau'ole Kai'ulani Griffins. She lived in Hawaii. Kagumi lived in Wisconsin." Raminus added.

"So little chance of them every just…stumbling across each other?" Albus asked.

"Exactly," Cordan said, feeling slightly more comfortable. "So, with a little help from my lovely scaly friend here, we inspired them to start posting their stories under the anonymity of an invention called the Internet. It's…a world-wide connection that allows for many ways to transmit information. It was actually invented by Muggleborn Wizards in this dimension. Of course, it's not going to be invented for a while…until about 1983, I think."

"Sounds useful," Albus said calmly, looking in no way like a man who had just absorbed a piece of information about the future. In fact, he looked more like a grandfather, watching two beloved children while eating a chocolate biscuit.

"Right," Raminus began. "They met through an offer to be a Beta, meaning…an editor of sorts, for these stories. Kagumi offered to be Bridget's Beta for a Marauders story," he said significantly.

Dumbledore's eyes went up at that. "Really?" he asked, sounding surprised for the first time in the discussion.

"Exactly. As fate, or rather The Chief, would have it, the girls cared more about the Marauders than the Hogwarts or Post-Hogwarts era. That in and of itself wasn't odd, but it was the ardor and dedication that they showed in learning about that—this— time as well as the understanding they had of those boys in which they stood out to us."

"'Search not for those, the famous three, but instead search the previous degree,'" Dumbledore quoted softly, remembering the conversations with various Founders.

"Exactly. Another thing was that they both…well…they both had to want it. Not just that, but wish for it."

"And they did?" Dumbledore asked.

"Colorfully, strongly, and often. In fact, they wanted it so badly, we could feel them from our own realm," Raminus answered smugly. "Anyways, that's not why we're here."

"Then why are you here?" Albus asked politely, folding his hands as the teapot poured him another cup of tea on its own accord.

"We're here to tell you that they will be starting Hogwarts in September. Right now, they are staying with the Potters. Sirius Black is with them, as well Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew most of the time. They will be technically in seventh year, although they might need tutors…" Here Raminus smiled, nodding to the elderly Headmaster.

"I take it that you want me to be one of these tutors?" he smiled at them.

"Indeed. As well as Minerva, and a few others. Horace as well, if he will; I believe he will find a surprise in these two girls. You see, both have grown up with these books, so they know what Harry would have learned, but not in any great detail; though they learn surprisingly quickly. I believe that both are now moving onto Fifth-Year textbooks now, and comprehending them. They have basic rudimentary knowledge; but it's just not the way a student who is going to rectify so many worlds should know magic. We believe that you may be able to help in planning what they should learn first."

"I see," here Dumbledore rose, and stretched. "Well, I will have to test their knowledge, along with the others you mentioned, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem." He smiled at the Gryffindor and the Slytherin. "You may tell Godric that the message was received." Dumbledore turned around to study the panting of the four Founders together, the only one that still existed.

When he turned back around to pet Fawkes, the two men were gone, their tea still sitting where they left it, getting colder by the minute.

* * *

Kagumi awoke to a crashing sound, and fumbled quickly for her wand. Although she didn't quite know if it was magical or Muggle yet, she still felt safer with it on her person. She glanced at the nearby clock; it read 5:58 am. Jet stirred in her sleep, and Kagumi froze, but the other girl merely turned over. 

Padding silently to the door, Kagumi opened it slowly, watching carefully for anything suspicious. A house-elf passed her, but Kagumi didn't really notice; she as concentrating more on the two large shadows at the bottom of the staircase.

"_Shh_! Do you want to wake everyone up?" one hissed to the other as Kagumi trod on a squeaking stair.

"It wasn't me!" the other hissed back.

"Whatever. Just keep moving." Kagumi pressed her back to the banister, grateful that she was nearly above them, so they couldn't see her. Moving quickly, she fled down the rest of the steps after the shadows were gone, stealthily making her way into the kitchen. A slim hand reached for the closest knife, coincidentally the butcher's knife, and strode nearly invisibly down the hall.

"Dammit, man, that hurt!" came a small cry from the fourth room down the hall. Kagumi froze inside the nearest doorframe, praying they didn't hear her squeak of surprise.

"Well, it's not my fault that you're a big baby when it comes to thorns!"

"I am not!"

"Humph. Auror's son indeed."

"OW!" A loud thump accompanied this, and Kagumi decided to make her move. She slinked around into the dim room where the two men were, waiting until they both had their back to her. Without a sound, she pulled the wand from her pajama pocket and placed it at the small of the man's back, simultaneously as she put the knife against his throat.

"AGH!" her captive screamed, and she whipped the wand to the other one as he turned around. A jet of fire flashed from the tip, briefly illuminating the room. _Well, at least I know it's real,_ she thought sourly, upset that her position had been given away.

"Freeze or he dies," she said calmly. The other man put his hands in the air, and she maneuvered herself and her prisoner out into the center of the room. "Turn on the light," came the command, and the other man did as Kagumi dropped the knife in surprise.

"_James_?"

"Gumi?"

"_Gumi_?" shrieked her prisoner, twisting free of her arms. Sirius looked long and hard at her, the knife on the floor, and the slightly smoking wand in her hand. She gave her most innocent smile, and slipped the warm wand back into her pocket when she thought he wouldn't notice.

With mud, twigs and thorns caught in their hair, and on various parts of their body, they were nearly unrecognizable. She shrugged, and sat down somewhat faintly on the nearest surface, which happened to be an old piano bench. Head in hands, she heard, rather than saw, the two boys sit down somewhere in her vicinity.

"Why did you do that, Gumi?" James asked.

"How did you do that? That's what _I_ want to know!" Sirius said. Kagumi sighed.

"When you live with my brothers, you learn to do a lot of things. In fact," she smiled sadly, "they're a lot like you two. They're notorious pranksters and they like people to underestimate them. That way, when they have the upper hand, people are always shocked."

"What does that have to do wit how you basically know how stalk people?" James asked bluntly.

"To be honest, it doesn't. Not directly. But when they were first learning their trade, I learned to sneak around so that they couldn't catch me. Later, I taught them how to sneak around so they wouldn't get caught. The whole knife thing, I pulled out of a hat. I didn't even know that it would work; I just wanted to protect your family, James. I figured you guys would be home earlier, and I thought…maybe that you two were Death Eaters or something," she finished sheepishly.

"Well," Sirius thought aloud, "that was pretty freakin' ace. You scared me half to death, and nicked me just a little, but it was still cool." Kagumi's response was to yawn lightly, rather like a cat, and she walked to the doorway.

"I'm gonna go start breakfast; You two will eat, and then you can sleep," she said, with authority she really shouldn't have. But based on their dinner last night, the boys found that they didn't really mind being bossed around where her food was concerned.

* * *

"So how's Rem…Uh, Remus?" she asked casually. Sirius was stuffing himself full of toast of freshly squeezed orange juice, and therefore his answer was extremely jumbled. 

"'Ell, 'es nah doo 'ell. S'ill welly 'ick, bu' 'es ge'in be'er," he mumbled, sending crumbs flying everywhere. Kagumi spared him a disgusted glance before putting their plates down in front of them: ham, eggs, half a steak each, and two link sausages. James thanked her, and reached for the larger pitcher of juice as she went back to the stove and took out her own breakfast: two pieces of toast, with fresh peanut butter spread on it to melt and a glass of milk from the icebox. She sat down at the end, making sure that the stove was within easy reach if the pan got too hot while waiting for the others to wake up.

"_So_, now that Sirius has demonstrated his ability to talk in tongues, perhaps you can translate what he said, James" she grinned.

"He said, 'Well, he's not doing too well. Still really sick, but he's getting better.' Oh, he also thanks you for the offer of breakfast, but seems terrified that you're going to poison him."

Sirius swallowed with difficulty. "I told him that we've eaten your cooking, and that we weren't dead yet. But he still declined," he added, seeing the dark look on Kagumi's face. Within the blink of an eye, the hot spatula was in her hand and inches away from Sirius' face.

"'We're not dead yet'? I thought you enjoyed my cooking, Sirius Black. If you have something to say to the contrary, go ahead. I'm sure your nose can take a little hot oil," she whispered with a deathly calm. James snorted into his own steak, before beginning to eat again. Of course, Bridget would choose that exact moment to walk in.

"Why are we threatening Sirius?" she asked with a yawn.

"Oh, no reason. Just thought a little early-morning murder might set a fine mood for the day," Kagumi replied easily.

"It's too early for me to help you clean up a murder, Gumi." She plucked the spatula out of her friend's hand and made towards the oven. "'Sides, you'd get icky human insides all over the spatula, and I hate doing dishes."

Gumi raised an eyebrow, finally looking away from her frightened prey. "Icky?"

"Yes, 'icky;' my vocabulary isn't as extensive in the early morning as it is when I'm fully awake." She waved the cooking utensil in a vaguely threatening way in Gumi's direction before frowning. "Now where are the eggs?"

"In the icebox. Sit down and I'll make you something," she commanded. "What do you want?"

Bridget, still not quite awake, turned and threatened Kagumi with the frying pan. "Sit. I don't want your freakish Wisconsin-ness to go anywhere near my eggs."

"Wha' 'oo 'oo'in?"

"I'm making an egg sandwich, Sirius."

"Is that all you want?" Kagumi asked. "I mean, it wouldn't be a problem for me to make more for—"

"Done!" Bridget spun around and sat in the seat next to Kagumi, who was still half-standing. She took a large bite out of the sandwich and looked up to see Kagumi staring at her, a bit shocked. "Wha'?"

"How'd you finish that so quickly?"

"Ma'ick." Bridget responded around a large bite of the sandwich.

"Are you serious?"

She gave Kagumi a slightly confused look. "No, I'm Brid— Don't hit me! Lame pun, lame pun… I know!" She peeked up from under the table and, once convinced that all was safe again, sat back down on her chair. "Sorry… no, that was me being sarcastic. Yes, I know I'm lame."

Gumi gave her friend an exasperated look. "You're an idiot."

"Yes, I know. Now, why were you really threatening Sirius with a spatul—you're bleeding!" Bridget dropped her breakfast back on the plate and jumped up, quickly making her way over to Sirius.

As soon as she reached him, she pulled out a napkin and gently wiped away the blood from the reopened wound Kagumi had given him that morning. Bridget carefully cleaned both that cut and another, already healing, cut on his forehead. Once she finished, she gave Sirius a smile and patted him on the cheek fondly, not noticing the red that was starting to creep up his neck. She suddenly spun around angrily, brandishing her wand at Kagumi.

Gumi stared at the wand for a few second before warily looking back up at her upset friend. "Where did you hide that?" she asked, eyeing Jet's short-sleeved pajamas.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Jet responded in a low, even voice. "What did you do?"

"Why do you think _I_ did that?"

"Oh, don't pull that on me, Gumi. I saw you totally incapacitate the boys," she turned to speak briefly with the intrigued James and Sirius, "which, by the way, was kinda lame. I mean, you're bigger and they're two of you. Come _on._" Bridget turned back to Kagumi, waving her wand in a slightly admonishing way. "Threatening people with knives isn't very nice. Didn't we have a _talk _about being _nice?_"

Kagumi continued to stare, and, instead of answering Bridget's question, asked one of her own, "How'd you find that out?"

Jet arched an eyebrow. "And people say _I _can't focus," she muttered to herself. "You woke me up when you stumbled out of our room."

"But you were asleep. And I didn't _stumble_!"

"It just _looked _like I was asleep, my dear. I'm a bit better at this than you are, apparently. After you left, I followed you and made sure you were okay." She shrugged. "You were, and they seemed okay, so I went back to bed."

"I thought they were Death Eaters," Kagumi mumbled, not looking her friends in the eye.

"In the house?" Bridget asked, skepticism lacing her voice. "That makes a whole lot o' sense. Anyways, you thought there were Death Eaters in the house so you, a kinda scrawny 17 year old girl with an unfortunately mediocre knowledge of magic, went to take care of it yourself? I must say, that has got to be the best idea I've ever heard."

Kagumi frowned. "It sounds worse when you say it that way. Besides! They didn't seem to be able to fight me."

"Jet, where'd your wand go?" James asked plainly, breaking the mounting tension in the air with the attitude of a little boy wanting in on the world's secrets.

Bridget gave James a mischievous grin that would soon become her trademark, "Wouldn't you like to know." She sat back down in her seat and picked up her sandwich. "Next time, Gumi, I would appreciate it if you woke me, instead of forcing me to follow you."

* * *

The group sat in the parlor; Jet and Gumi were reading, and James and Sirius were working on a piece of grubby parchment. Bridget and Kagumi were discussing their new magical texts (borrowed from the boys), somehow leading Kagumi off into a rant about Remus, although no one was quite sure how. 

"He doesn't like us very much," Kagumi said in a matter-of-fact voice. James and Sirius exchanged glances, but Bridget spoke before either could respond.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic, Gumi," she said. "The poor guy's just worried that we're evil and here to kill all his friends. It's all perfectly logical."

"To you, Jet, only to you. I mean, he's convinced that I'm trying to poison him… by offering him _breakfast_! Brealfast! If I wanted o posion him, he'd be dead before he knew what had happened!"

Jet shrugged. "Maybe, but think about it. We arrive in the middle of the night with absolutely nothing, and we're _left _here. It _is_ a rather odd situation, don't you think?"

"But it's _ridiculous. _Why would we want to kill anyone?"

"Because we're evil, weren't you paying attention to what I was saying?" Bridget answered vaguely, before returning to her book.

Sirius and James exchanged a dark look, muttered something about "…Knives" before returning to their own mutterings.

Kagumi huffed, and went back to reading the fifth year Transfiguration textbook, while glancing occasionally at the sixth year Charms book. After a while, she began to practice wand movements, and after the fourth set of curtains had been set on fire, Sirius finally wrenched it away from her.

"No more pyromania for you!"

"Siri! Give it back!" Kagumi said. He grinned, before frowning, apparently having come to a realization.

"When did you start calling me Siri?" he asked, honestly confused.

"I'm not really sure. I guess it's just something that Jet mentioned and it stuck. Now gimme my wand," Kagumi said.

"Huh…Oh, right." He tossed the wand to James, who caught it without even looking up from the parchment. Kagumi stomped her foot, and went over to James to try to wrestle the wand from him. He held it above his head with one hand, while still writing on the parchment. A flash of movement from the parchment caught her eye and she paused, just missing a rogue spark from the wand.

James took advantage of her stop to toss the wand back to Sirius, who dangled it above her head. She kicked him in the shins and he dropped it.

"Ow! That hurt!" he yelled, clutching at his leg.

Jet snickered and made no move to help any of them, continuing her reading. James summoned the wand from the floor, just as Kagumi was going to pick it up and used a levitation charm to make it hover above her head. Being intelligent, Kagumi knew that if she went for the wand it would just go higher; however, if she went for the caster, the charm would drop and she could retrieve what was rightfully hers. So, without much warning, the short, petite girl tackled James just as he capped his inkwell.

"Agh!" He fell to the floor, taking the parchment with him as she tickled him mercilessly. The parchment fluttered to the ground, and she picked it up with a curious hand, sitting comfortably on James' back.

"Kagumi, I don't think Jamsie can breathe over there," Bridget said in a slightly worried voice after a few moments, when the little piece of James' face that was visible began to turn a strange red-purple. "Uh, Gumi?"

_Oh, my dear sweet Merlin. Is this…Oh my freakin' God. I'm looking at the __**real**__ Marauder's Map._ For indeed, that is what she held. The Map proclaimed its name in great, green curly lettering. For a moment, Kagumi's vision swam and she sat next to Jet, shoving the Map under her nose.

"What's wr— oh."

"I know."

"Is this—?"

"I think so."

"Wow…" they said together.

"Prongs?" Sirius hissed. "Why'd you leave it open?"

"I was editing it, for your information, 'cause your penmanship just plain _sucks_!"

"Boys, what is this?" Kagumi decided to play it safe, acting as though she didn't know exactly what she held.

"Gumi, what are you: blind? It's a map." Bridget withered a bit under Kagumi's glare. "Oh...You knew that bit, didn't you?"

"Yes, Bridget, I did."

"And we were going for more information, weren't we?" Bridget faltered, casting nervous eyes around the room and seizing a nearby book.

"Yes, Bridget, we were."

"Right then, I think I'll shut up and go back to my reading." The girl hid her pink face behind the textbook.

"You do that."

"Aw, now, don't listen to her," Sirius said with a grin as he draped himself over the couch next to her. He plucked the book out of her hand and, a moment later, plucked the Marauders Map from Gumi's shocked fingers.

"Hey! Sirius, give that back!" Bridget protested, reaching for the book. "I was _learning!"_

"No one needs to learn during the _summer,_" he said, looking positively disgusted as he flipped through the Herbology text.

Bridget pouted for a moment before smiling triumphantly. She leaned over his lap and took back the Map. "Now you have the book and _I _have this Map thingy," she said smugly. Bridget made a show of examining the parchment, frowning thoughtfully. "The Marauders Map, is it? Hm… look at this, Gumi, there's a Great Hall, classrooms, and at least four dormitories; could this be a map of Hogwarts?"

"No," Sirius objected. "Of course it isn't!"

Kagumi raised a skeptical eyebrow. "How many schools have you been to?"

"Erm," Sirius muttered, "you see… well…"

"Yeah, it is a map of Hogwarts," James interjected. He leaned over the back of the couch, in between the girls. "It took me, Sirius, Remus, and Peter ages to figure out the layout for the castle—it's huge—and the spellcasting was even more difficult." He shrugged casually, a self-satisfied smirk gracing his features. "We didn't get it near finished until the end of fifth year."

"Really?" Bridget exclaimed, eyes shining with excitement as she examined it. "It's spectacular. And can you track everyone, or is it only people you add on to the map? The first way would be best, but the charms work must've been really difficult. A modified Locator Charm, perhaps combined with an Identification Charm or a Tracking Charm? But, even then, the magnitude and difficulty would make completing the feat impressive, especially for boys who haven't even finished their Ordinary Wizarding Levels." Her fingertips traced the lines drawn on the Map; she was so captivated by the piece of magic that she missed Kagumi's stunned look, nor James and Sirius' shocked ones.

The two boys had marked Bridget off as a bit of an airhead, intelligent to be sure, but not quite all-there, and definitely not up to their, or even Kagumi's standards as far as smarts went. It had seemed, to them, that Gumi was most definitely the brains behind the operation with Bridget perhaps helping out with an idea here and there, and proving to be the calming force behind her friend's volatile temper.

But, having formed such a complicated, and, as much as they may hate to admit it, correct theory in the few minutes—moments—since she had begun to examine the map completely obliterated that assumption. She still had her head in the clouds far more often than any of the other teenagers, but there were definitely brains in that pretty head of hers, formidable ones too, if that last statement was anything to go on.

Kagumi, however, was beyond shocked: she was outright astonished. She knew that Bridget was intelligent—more than a year of Beta-reading for the girl had shown her that—and she knew that pretty much every one of Bridget's hometown family and acquaintances held her closest friend's aptitude up to a near-genius level. But, after the personal experience she had gained with Jet on her trip, she had just written it off as a combination of normal high intelligence and the near hero-worship her friend seemed to inspire in others. Gumi definitely had not expected this, and, there was one thing the boys didn't know that she did: it wasn't only practical knowledge they were lacking (their excuse for needing to practice even the simplest spells), it was almost _any _knowledge.

Mrs. Potter's voice shook them out of their stupor (and, in Bridget's case, awe), "Children, you have a visitor."

The elegant woman stopped speaking, frowning at the chaos her unannounced arrival seemed to inspire. Bridget had quickly folded a sheet of parchment and tucked it into her jeans pocket, and James had started so badly that he pitched forward, the only reason he didn't end up sprawled on either the two girls or the floor being his quick reflexes and Gumi's steadying hand, which quickly tipped James back into his seat. Sirius was the only one who hadn't shown much of a reaction: his eyes had merely followed Jet's hands as they tucked away the Map.

"Did I interrupt something?" the woman asked. She had, after all, raised James Potter, and knew when something was up.

Bridget's eyes flicked to Kagumi's and, after a silent agreement, she smiled widely—innocently—at their hostess. "Oh, nothing, Mrs. Potter. James here was telling me and Gumi one of their more, um, daring tales of adventure, and you startled us."

Mrs. Potter's gaze made another suspicious sweep of the four teenagers before deeming the situation innocent—at least as innocent as it ever got with her son and his best friend involved. "Yes, well, you four have a visitor. We'll have to postpone our trip to Diagon Alley for a couple of hours; Headmaster Dumbledore is waiting in the kitchen."

"Actually, Vivian, I am right here," an amused voice said. "May I speak with them alone?"

"Of course, Albus," Vivian replied. "I'll leave them to you." She began to leave but turned before actually exiting, "Girls, you have some mail. It's in the hall when you wish to read it."

The two time travelers didn't even comprehend what the older woman said; they were too busy staring at the greatest wizard of the time. Albus Dumbledore, in all his white-haired, long-bearded, twinkling-eyed, bright-robed glory, stood before them, smiling benevolently. This couldn't be good.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Ahem... I apologize for the misleading-ness of the chapter title, but I couldn't resist. I promise the next time I use Death Eaters in a chapter title, it'll actually involve Death Eaters. Um... next chapter will have some plot furtherment with the talk with Dumbledore, a trip to Diagon Alley, the introduction of a few familiar faces, and the re-introduction of Remus' furry little problem. 

Thanks to **_FoxLuvr, Valinor's Twilight, _**and **_Aquila Corax _**for the reviews and to anyone who added us to favorites or alert (I can't remember if anyone did the past chapter, sorry). Please review again, we shall get the next chapter out much sooner. -Jet


	9. A Trip to Diagon Alley

_**Disclaimer: **_Neither Gumi nor I own anything that you recognize.

_**Author's Notes: **_I'm terribly sorry about the long hiatus. Kagumi doesn't have much access to a computer and I've been having a few personal problems, so it's been difficult for both of us to update. But, the update is here now, so enjoy your reading.

* * *

Chapter Eight: A Trip to Diagon Alley

"Hey, Dumbles," Bridget greeted as soon as the shock wore off. She smiled innocently up at the Headmaster, waving, and was promptly hit by Kagumi.

"Jet, it's _Professor _or _Headmaster _Dumble_dore," _she hissed at her friend. "Not _Dumbles."_

"Oh, fine," Bridget muttered with a roll of her eyes. She smiled at Dumbledore again. "Hey, Professor Dumbledore." Kagumi gave her another pointed look; Jet sighed. "Alright, alright. I apologize, Professor, for being so disrespectful and shall attempt to do be more polite in the future."

"It is not a problem, my dear," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "You are just like your cousin." Kagumi turned her glare from Bridget to the Headmaster, effectively communicating that he should _not _be encouraging her. "And _you, _Miss. Pheonix, are just like your brother." He sat down in a comfortable chair across from the teenagers. "Now, for what I came to speak with you about…"

"That would be nice," Sirius muttered.

"Sirius, be nice," Bridget replied, patting him gently on the knee.

"Albus _Dumbledore, _does not make house calls," he whispered to her as he leaned forward slightly, "not without a reason, at least."

"Sirius, love," she whispered back, "he's sitting right across from us; I think he can hear _every word we're saying_."

"Oh."

Kagumi sighed loudly from the other side of the couch (James had sat down between the two girls). "I'm surrounded by idiots," she muttered.

"Kagumi!" James gasped in a mock-affronted voice. "I'll have you know that Headmaster Dumbledore is one of the most brilliant wizards of our time, behind Sirius, Remus, and myself, of course."

She dropped her head in her hands, muttering to herself. Bridget leaned forward and peeked around James. She looked up at him, frowning. "Jamie, I think you might've killed her."

"I did no such thing, Jet," he replied loftily. "It's no concern of mine if she can't handle the truth."

"So," Gumi interrupted loudly, attracting everyone's attention and a gleeful shout from Jet ("She's alive!"), "Professor Dumbledore, what did you want to discuss with us?"

"I am delivering your Start of School Owls." He handed out the letters; all four students gave him skeptical looks. "And I wanted to speak with my newest students. It is not often we receive transfers, especially for the last year, and there are some details we have to clear up.

"First of all, though, I would like to congratulate our new Head Boy on his appointment." Dumbledore's eyes were on full twinkle mode as James and Sirius gave each other shocked looks and quickly tore each other's letter open.

Sirius' jaw dropped. "Jimmy, you're _Head BOY!"_

There were a few moments of shocked silence that even the girls, though they knew fully well that James was to be Head Boy, participated in.

"If you will, boys, I would like to speak with Miss. Griffins and Miss. Pheonix alone," Dumbledore said, effectively ending the moment of silence. "I would, however, like to speak with you two after I am done."

* * *

Kagumi smiled smugly at Bridget. "See, even Professor Dumbledore says that changing things is a bad idea."

Bridget gave her an icy look in return, her eyes empty of their normal amusement. She had already agreed to 'not intentionally change anything' twice; the gloating was completely unnecessary. "I never said it wasn't a bad idea," she replied evenly. "It might be. I just said that it was the _right_ thing to do." And, with that, she stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Kagumi behind, confused and hurt.

Jet walked straight out of the house and collapsed beneath a tree overlooking the rest of the estate, her eyes filling with tears that she stubbornly refused to shed. It wasn't very long before she was up again, pacing back and forth in front of the tree and talking to herself.

"This isn't fair. I can't do this, I really can't. I can't believe Gumi thinks—Oh, Merlin, I can't do this."

"Bridget?" She ignored the voice, instead kicking the tree to help relieve her frustration. "Jet?" She continued to ignore the voice and James appeared from behind the tree. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she muttered, avoiding his eyes.

"Jet, you just kicked a tree."

She grinned at him in a way that was almost bitter. "Observant, aren't you?"

"I try to be," he replied. "Why'd you kick it?"

"It made me angry." Bridget gave him a petulant look, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

James snorted amusedly and sat down. He gave her a pointed look and she sat next to him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked after a few moments.

"Keeping you company and making sure you don't damage any more Potter property."

She gave James a sheepish smile, blushing slightly. "Sorry 'bout that; I can have a bit of a temper."

"It's okay; this tree's gone up against worse than you kicking it."

"Oh?"

He leaned over, giving Jet a conspiratorial look. "When I was eight I flew my broomstick into it."

There were a few moments of shocked silence before Bridget began to laugh. It took another few moments for James to realize that her laughter had dissolved into tears. He gently pulled her closer, and held her until the soft sobs died out.

"There is no way I'll believe you're okay after that." Bridget laughed softly, her face still buried in his robes. "Will you tell me what's wrong now?"

She pulled back and gave James a weak smile. "It's just stress. I had to agree to something that I really don't believe is right. It's nothing horrible or anything, but I still disagree. I'm not used to being away from my friends and family for so long. This is the longest Gumi and I have spent together at a length without buffers. And, I don't have my usual stress-relievers. This is the first time I've been outside in three days; I'm not used to going _one _full day indoors if I'm not sick. Things are changing really fast for me."

"You and Gumi aren't best friends?" James asked, surprised.

"No. We're from different states, and, for me, that's a really far way to go. We usually spend summers together and half the time I'm visiting family as well. My best friends are still back home."

"You know," James said, picking absently at the grass with one arm still around her shoulders as she leaned against him, "we've been in the same house for almost a month and I know almost nothing about you."

She gave him a relieved smile, although it still held a bit of sadness. "If you want I'll answer any of your questions, but, right now, I think it might be best for you to tell me why you're really here, unless you were out for a stroll."

"Oh, right, my mum said that we can go to Diagon Alley now," he said, grinning at her. "She's really excited about being able to shop for girls."

Bridget groaned. "Oh, Merlin, I hate shopping."

"You are full of surprises, Miss Griffins."

"And you, Mr. Potter, are not."

"Now, that, I take as a challenge." He stood up and held out his hand to help Bridget up.

As soon as she was up, Bridget threw her arms around him. "Thank you, James," she whispered. She pulled back and, after kissing him on the cheek, smiled at the shocked boy. "And, congrats on the Head Boyship."

"I knew I would get it," he said confidently as he extended his arm for Bridget to take.

She did so, lightly resting her hand on his forearm, and rolled her eyes. "Sure you did."

"Dumbledore told Sirius and me that we'd have to help you and Gumi," James said, deciding that it was best to ignore the skepticism in her voice, "and he explained the tutoring set-up. You'll probably have at least one of us at some point; we're pretty much tops in all the classes. We're the best students in the school."

Bridget snorted softly. "That didn't sound conceited at all, Jamie."

"It's not conceited if it's true," he replied in the same lofty voice he had used earlier. There was a short pause before both began laughing again.

* * *

Mrs. Potter sighed exasperatedly. "James, Sirius, if it's boring you so badly, why don't you go to Quality Quidditch Supplies and we'll meet you afterwards."

The two boys perked up. "Sure, Mum," James said. He bowed over Bridget's hand dramatically, while she refrained from hitting him upside his head. "We shall see you later, ladies."

"We bid you a good day." And with a similarly theatrical bow, Sirius followed James out of the store.

Bridget sighed unhappily as both Mrs. Potter and Kagumi ran the poor saleswitch ragged with their orders. Both girls had already gotten their school uniforms and Bridget was perfectly comfortable in her Muggle clothes, so she saw no need to keep shopping. She truly did despise the act.

Kagumi strode forward suddenly, holding up two sets of robes against Bridget. "Stop pouting, Jet, you can go to the Quidditch store after we finish looking for our robes."

"But, Gumi, I don't _want _robes." She gestured at her current wardrobe. "I'm perfectly fine with my t-shirts and jeans."

"You need robes, Bridget Ashlyne," Kagumi said firmly, pushing both sets of robes into her friend's arms.

Bridget sighed, apparently Gumi was fond of using full names when attempting to be firm as much as her own mother was. "Fine, but can we hurry up a bit? I'm ready to attempt suicide by coat hanger."

"We're almost done, Bridget," Mrs. Potter said as she quickly sorted through the large pile of robes and school uniforms the girls had acquired. "Professor Dumbledore arranged for Lily Evans, the Head Girl, to meet us at the bookstore soon."

Bridget emerged from the dressing room in deep red dress robes, and exchanged a look with Kagumi. "The Headmaster didn't tell us that," she said.

"It wasn't—oh, Bridget, you look stunning."

"Huh?" Jet said, looking between Mrs. Potter and Kagumi, a confused look gracing her features.

"Merlin's beard, Jet, she's right," Kagumi whispered, her eyes widening as they took in her friend's new look.

"About what?" She looked down, finally realizing that she wasn't wearing her normal clothes. "Oh. That."

"Yes, that, Jet. Jesus, I didn't know you could look like this."

Bridget arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "Jeez, Gumi, thanks a bunch."

"Oh, hush, you know what I meant," Gumi said. "You have to buy that, Bridget."

"What in heaven's name will I need dress robes for? I'm going to _school._"

"You'll be staying with us during the holidays, and all the Families have parties. You'll probably need more than just this one set; but I will say that you must wear that to the Potter Ball."

Bridget sighed as the two women began fussing again; there was no way she was going to be leaving any time soon.

* * *

"Freedom!" Bridget sighed, relieved to, once again, be outside and free of any pin-wielding witches. "I'm finally free! Never again shall I have to submit myself to the torture of shopping for clothes."

"Jet, we have to get more dress robes for the holiday break," Gumi said, sounding exasperated.

The other girl continued to smile, her still face turned up to the sun. "Don't ruin the moment."

"Come along, girls, I'm sure Miss Evans is waiting for you," Mrs. Potter said briskly, having finished the arrangements to have the robes delivered to Godric's Hollow.

"Gumi," Bridget called, looking almost deliriously excited. "Books!"

And, with that, she practically skipped to Flourish and Blotts, ignoring everything around her in favor of a non-descript blue book entitled _337 Everyday Spells to Get You In and Out of Trouble._ Kagumi, who had followed her friend at a much slower (and dignified) pace, however, did take in her surroundings and spotted who she assumed was Lily Evans. She was a very pretty girl, who was around the same height as Bridget, although of a slimmer build when compared to her friend's curvy figure. Her long, dark red hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and as she turned Kagumi spotted her large, bright green eyes. There was no way this could be anyone other than the girl who would someday become the mother of the world's savior.

Now, though, Lily Potter was still Lily Evans, seventeen years old and Head Girl. Kagumi walked forward and tentatively tapped the red-head on her shoulder. Lily turned and smiled at her, "Are you one of the transfer students?" At Gumi's answering nod, she extended her hand, "I'm Lily Evans, Professor Dumbledore asked me to help you and…" Lily trailed off, frowning.

"Bridget," Gumi said, realizing what Lily hadn't known their names. "She's the other girl, and I'm Kagumi Pheonix; it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Not to be rude," Lily said, "but where is Bridget?"

"Right here," Bridget said cheerfully as she walked out from a nearby aisle. "Gumi, dude, I found a totally ace book."

All three girls' eyes trailed down to the book Bridget was currently holding. It was thick and had a somber brown cover with no title. She was also holding the book she had found earlier, although the title couldn't be seen.

"Do you like reading?" Lily asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Oh, yeah," Bridget responded. She grinned widely at the redhead. "Both Gumi and I love reading. I already bought about half of the bookstore as it is, as well as our schoolbooks. Although, I must say that I'm, as usual, disappointed in the lack of Wizarding fiction." She frowned thoughtfully. "I had the nice beginnings of a library back home, and I'm not sure how many books I brought with me; I imagine it would be a bit difficult to restock my Muggle fiction collection."

"You read Muggle books?" Lily asked, this time she sounded surprised. "Are you Muggleborn?"

"No," Kagumi said with a kind smile. "We're both Purebloods, but we've spent a lot of time in the Muggle world."

"And their entertainment is _so _much better," Jet added. "Anyways, I've got all our stuff and enough reading material to last us a couple of weeks; why don't we head on out of here before I buy the rest of the place?" She shared a conspiratorial smile with Lily, eyes sparkling mischievously. "I'm normally quite good with money, but put me in a bookstore and I'll go broke."

Kagumi sighed and rolled her eyes, knowing fully well that Bridget _would _buy the whole store if left there too long, especially with the large allowance Cordan had given her. "Let's go, Jet."

* * *

"That sounds good. Doesn't it, Jet?" Gumi asked her friend. There wasn't an answer. "Bridget?"

Both she and Lily turned around. Although, previously, she had been following them with a majority of the bags from Flourish and Blotts ("I bought them, and they're mainly my books. I can manage."), she was now nowhere in sight.

"Where in the world could she have – oh." Kagumi sighed heavily, heaved the bags she had managed to coerce out of Bridget, and marched straight into the nearby shop that had caught her eye (and, presumably Bridget's). Lily followed a little more cautiously. They walked into the store and immediately spotted the other girl at a nearby display of Shooting Stars.

"Bridget Ashlyne!" Kagumi called sternly, hands firmly planted on her hips and a displeased look on her face. "What are you doing?"

"Looking at these brooms. Aren't they brill?" Bridget smiled brightly at Kagumi, seemingly unaware of the girl's irritation.

"You can't go wandering off. You'll get lost."

"I knew exactly where I was at all times, Gumi."

"Yes, but—," Kagumi sighed again and her frame seemed to collapse in on itself. "Nevermind, just—nevermind. Lily has to go, but she invited us to hang out with her sometime next week, how's that sound?"

"Sounds great," Bridget said. She frowned, though, a pensive look gracing her pretty features. "But we can't leave our hosts behind; they gave up their summer for us, and that'd be rude." She looked at the two girls, the very picture of innocence with her wide brown eyes and earnest face. Kagumi, however, knew better, and had already spotted the mischievous glint in Jet's eyes.

"Oh, that's okay," Lily said. The poor thing had no idea that Bridget was plotting something. "They can come, too, if they want. It won't be a problem."

Bridget gave Lily a grateful smile, hope lighting up her features and suddenly Kagumi understood. Bridget had wanted Lily to invite the boys along, probably to help James a bit. After all, there was really no way they could possibly know that Lily despised most of the Marauders; none of the boys had even mentioned her name.

"Are you sure?" asked Jet, just as cautiously optimistic as she looked. Kagumi wasn't even sure how much of it was an act. "I mean, they're guys and they have these two friends that are constantly around. It won't bother you at all if they tag along?"

"Nope. I probably know them from school, anyways, and there aren't many people I don't get along with there. Most of them are Slytherins." Lily suddenly looked worried, she had obviously just remembered that the two girls were purebloods. "They're not Slytherins, are they?"

"Nah, 'course not."

"Evans, my dearest blossom, have you finally come to realize that you can't survive without my brilliant presence?" James grinned widely at Lily, who glared back, and Sirius appeared from the same aisle his friend had. Kagumi glanced at Jet, wondering how she was going to handle this new predicament, but from the triumphant look that briefly crossed her face, they were playing right into her devious plot.

"No, Potter, what are you talking about?" Lily managed to bite out. "Your idiocy is making a bad impression on our new students."

"You just invited me to 'hang out.'" James, sadly, looked quite triumphant, although very few could have any hope of following his logic. Almost all of his current companions, however, knew exactly what he was talking about. Lily was the only one who didn't.

"I did no such thing, Potter, and I doubt I ever will. What I _did _do was invite them and their—oh, dear." Lily's hand went to her mouth and her green eyes widened. "You're their host students, aren't you? Guys. Four of you. Not Slytherins. I should have known."

"Yes, Evans, we are," Sirius added, grinning in a way that was strangely similar to Bridget's. "Does that invitation still apply, now that you know who we are?"

Lily looked between the two boys and Bridget (who's face had quickly changed into something that looked very confused). She had walked right into that; there was no way she could back out of the invitation without seeming rude or mean to Bridget and Kagumi, neither of whom should have any knowledge of James' attempts to attain the 'everlasting beauty' that was, apparently, Lily Evans. She gulped, steeling herself up for the words that she was about to say. "Yes, I suppose it does."

Bridget grinned widely, innocently, and hugged Lily, who seemed to be in a state of shock. "Splendid, we'll owl you about the details later. Bye." She looped arms with James and pulled him away, "Come along, Jamie, you said you would explain the different brooms to me."

Kagumi said good-bye to Lily and caught up with Sirius as they followed James and Jet out of the store. "So," she muttered to him, eyeing the odd couple in front of them (James had begun to skip in his joy and Bridget had no qualms with joining in), "where to next?"

"We're going to pay a short visit to our dear Mr. Lupin; then we're going back to the Potters'."

* * *

"That," Bridget said to Gumi as they waited outside the Lupin house, "went surprisingly poorly."

Kagumi snorted. "Surprisingly? He _hates _me."

"He doesn't _hate _you; he _mistrusts_ you," Jet replied. "And he's ill; no one's in a good mood when they're sick."

"Seems like he trusts _you _well enough."

"You attacked his friends, my dear." Bridget shrugged. "And I can be charming. So can you, but you've been snappish since we got here. What's got your knickers in a twist?"

"Nothing, I just want to get back."

In truth, it was much more than nothing. Kagumi had seen, first-hand, the effects of a full moon on Remus. Even with the assistance of his Marauder friends, he had been tired, weak, sore, and had more than a few cuts and bruises. If that's how he looked when his friends were there, she could only imagine how horrible the transformation would be without them.

"Come along, ladies," Sirius interrupted, grinning, as the two boys emerged from the Lupins'. He put his arms around both girls' shoulders, dropping one of them at Kagumi's glare. "We have to get back before Mrs. P starts to fret."

"And don't you have your letters to read?" James added as he came behind the others, wrapping an arm around Bridget's waist and speeding up, distracting both Bridget (who was trying to swat his hand away with very little effect) and Sirius, who had been left behind.

Kagumi, however, was not distracted. "What letters?"

"The letters mum said you got this morning. They're in the hall, remember? See you at the house." And, with that, James wrapped both arms around Bridget and Disapparated with a small pop.

* * *

Bridget stood there for a second, gasping for air. Once she regained normal sensation (Apparation was _evil)_ she hit James on the chest and glared up at him. "James Nathaniel Potter, that was not nice!"

James chuckled, leading his newfound friend into the house. She grabbed the letters left on the hall table as they made their way into the kitchen. They heard the front door shut with a loud bang, signaling that the others had found their way home, too. Jet sat at the table, and opened one of the envelopes with her name on the front while scolding James.

"Did you not think it was a good idea to _warn _me that we were about to Apparate? That's not exactly a pleasant experience."

"Sorry, Jet," he started, not sounding sorry at all. She didn't catch the rest of his rather unapologetic apology.

"Jet, are you okay?" James asked, noticing the upset look her face had taken as she read her letter.

"Is something wrong with Bridget?" Kagumi asked. She and Sirius had just walked into the kitchen.

"I can't do this," she muttered, sounding on the verge of tears. She shook her head and continued speaking, her voice getting increasingly panicked. "I can't sit here and do this. It's a physical impossibility!"

Kagumi's eyes widened as she realized exactly what her friend had said in her panic. But, before she could say anything, James spoke up again. "How's that exactly?" he asked. "The whole physical impossibility thing, that is."

There was a flicker of comprehension in Bridget's eyes, before she thought fast and spoke again, "I'm just not used to this whole thing. I've never been away from my family or my best friends for longer than a day or two, and I'm not used to weather below, I dunno, 70 degrees or so—um, I think that's 21 degrees Celsius—and I've only experienced weather as low as around 30 degrees, or, uh, 1 degree, I think." She looked back down at the package on her lap and gestured weakly. "This all kinda brought that to the forefront of my mind. I'll be fine."

She glanced at Bridget and frowned but didn't say anything else about the subject. "I'll go read my letters, now. Okay?"

"Okay," Bridget said. She folded the letter up and put it in her back pocket, standing. "You know what? I'm gonna go for a little run. Haven't had one in ages and I'm starting to get a little antsy. I have no idea what I'm going to do without my soccer, and football teams to keep me moving. I'll see you guys later."

_**

* * *

**_

**Author's Notes:**

So, there it was. Lily was finally introduced and you saw some of Bridget's reaction to the whole situation. Hopefully the next chapter will be out _much_ sooner, but as I'm currently the only one able consistently online, I can't make any promises. It's not abandoned, though. I never abandon my stories if I can help it.

Thanks to _**FoxLuvr, **_and _**Valinor's Twilight **_for reviewing; _**itra**_ and _**beachgal **_for putting D.I.N. on story alert; and _**itra**_ and _**LJG Potter **_for faving us.

Please review, any flames will be, I dunno, thrown away or something.


	10. Twelve Dozen Brownies

_**Disclaimer: **__We only own Bridget, Kagumi, and the original aspects of the plot. Everything else belongs to J.K.R. and her minions (yes, she has minions; she's awesome enough for them, at least)._

**Author's Notes: **Sorry about the long hiatus, both Gumi and I were extremely busy (and Gumi had limited access to the Internet). Enjoy the chapter…

* * *

Chapter Nine: Twelve Dozen Brownies

Kagumi stared blankly at the piece of parchment held loosely in her hands. Somewhere, deep down, she was pleased that she had remembered to put a waterproofing charm on her letters before attempting to read them. And deep down, somewhere, she was sure that she secretly insane and that none of this was happening to her. But for now, she sniffled, pinching the bridge of her nose to stop the tears.

She's forgotten about the fight she and her father had had before they left, forgotten about tying her brothers to chairs so that they would have to listen to her for once. Forgotten about storming up to her and Jet's room, flinging herself on the bed and screaming herself hoarse into a pillow. Forgotten about, or perhaps ignored Jet walking into the room and sitting on the bed, silently offering comfort by stroking her hair. No words had come to either of them at that moment, and somehow, that was alright.

But this-- this letter, her father's worried words brought all of that rushing back. He had apologized profusely, still thinking too much. Thinking that she'd run away because of the fight, thinking the worst. Given the history between them, it wasn't unreasonable. But it still stung. Thinking it was his fault, that he'd lost another family member until he got the letter or whatever Raminus had sent to him to smooth it all over.

She hated him for that. For thinking some silly Founder magic could solve everything. She'd give anything to talk to her Papa, to hug him and ruffle his hair again, to have that sense of touch that her Pack needed in order to know that everything was alright. He didn't have that. And all she had was four striking teenage Wizards, a coauthor she'd never really spent more than twelve hours with, and a homesick bottomless pit where her heart should've been.

So dulled by grief was Kagumi that she didn't notice the boy standing behind her until he laid his hand on her shoulder. She jumped, tried to spin around, hide her tears and fling his hand off at the same time; needless to say, none of it happened that way. In trying to turn around, she got wrapped up in the chair, spun around it, fell in the floor and sat there with a tear-streaked face, a sore bottom and deeply bruised pride.

Glaring through thick lashes, she stared at Sirius, who was trying not to laugh.

"Don't look at me like that," she muttered.

Knocking aside his offered hand, she pulled herself to her feet and sat back down, hiding the letter and photograph that had come with it. He scraped a chair along the floor without so much as a look or gesture to see if it would be okay and sat next to her.

"Like what? Like you just overreacted and fell into the floor? Or like I'm concerned about why you're moping? Or like I'm wondering about the smell of..."

He paused, sniffing the air. With a slight frown, he pulled aside the pantry door and stared. Stacked neatly inside were no less than ten dozen brownies. As he stared, a small ding went off near the stove. Kagumi levitated yet another two dozen brownies out of the oven without getting up.

Sirius stared at her. "What?" she asked defensively.

"Why...in the name of Merlin's baggy robes...did you make one hundred and forty-four brownies?" he finally grated out. With a sigh, she sank back into the chair and put her head in her hands. "What was that?" he asked, referring to her muttered answer.

"I said, I got depressed. I got something I didn't expect in the post, so...I had to get my emotions out someway and I usually do that by cooking. I figured chocolate would be better for everyone involved," she sighed again, sitting up and blinking not four inches away from Sirius' face. With a startled cry, she pushed him away. "You do sneak about, don't you?" she asked shakily, one hand on her chest.

He just grinned.

James walked in, yawning. Then he stopped, and sniffed the air, eerily similar to Sirius. "What's that smell?" he asked.

"Brownies," Sirius said cheerfully. "One hundred and forty-four of them."

James seemed to process this, shook his head and walked back to the door. "Well, something came for Jet so I'm going to be in the Den waiting for her --" He turned back around sharply. "Did you say one _hundred_ and forty-four brownies?"

Kagumi merely nodded meekly. James sighed and exited the room, muttering something about "women." Sirius snickered. Smiling ruefully, she relaxed against the chair and stretched her legs over his.

He gave her a shocked look and pointed down at the legs currently spread across his lap. "And what the bloody hell is this about?"

"Well, if you're going to pry into my emotions, you'll just have to put up with the consequences. My family is very affectionate. Therefore, when attempting to comfort me, affection works best. You stuck your nose in, and now you have to give me affection. Serves you right; all that nonsense about curiosity and the cat is very wise."

She smiled at his sputtering, a purely predatory smirk, and stretched again. Finally, he gave up and relaxed.

"So...you wanna tell me what's wrong and why I walked in on the birth of nearly 150 brownies? Or better yet, why you looked as though you'd just lost your best friend?"

With a swift move, he'd maneuvered himself behind her chair and began rubbing her shoulders. With a groan, she moved her long hair.

"A girl could get used to this. Well, truthfully, before my...trip out here, however unexpected it was, my father and I got into a big fight. Nothing physical, because both of us know that our words hurt more than the sharpest smack. But it was stupid, and I didn't have enough time to apologize, or make anything okay before I got stuck here. And with you being sweet, and James and Jet being buddy-buddy, Remus' suspicion...It all just got to me."

"Not to mention that poor Wormy's just terrified of you," Sirius deadpanned.

Kagumi smacked his hand, and he laughed, a rich, deep sound; Kagumi wondered suddenly if Jet had heard that joyful sound yet.

"Of course, that's only because he saw that violent side before anything else. Give him one of the brownies. He'll come 'round."

Soundlessly, she turned the picture over. It showed a beautiful young woman; her black hair was blowing in a slight breeze, and there was a sparkle in her eyes that just screamed "Mischief!" There was a smattering of freckles across her nose, a trait that Kagumi had inherited. Sirius chuckled, and was willing to bet that the woman's eyes were the same smoky green as Kagumi's. He leaned down closer.

"That your mum?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. That's her. I didn't have a picture of her, so my dad sent one." Kagumi sniffled. There was a scent of a long ago sadness about her, a sort of melancholy, but Sirius didn't push it.

"She's lovely. Where is she?" he asked.

"I...I don't know. I haven't seen her in a long time."

Sirius knew she was hedging, avoiding the question, but he let it go. A woman who made 144 brownies when she got sad didn't need to be upset. At least, not for another month or two. He grinned, and decided to keep that thought to himself. Kagumi's ears perked, and they heard the sound at the same time: the front door shutting.

"Jet's back," Kagumi said. "I should probably go talk to her. But for now, I think I'll stock up on courage. Read; chocolate."

And with that, she stood up and grabbed a brownie from the counter, where she had put the last two batches. She chewed slowly, savoring the white chocolate chips mixed in with the handmade batter. Sighing, she put the letters (One from her father, one from her best friends, and then the one from Hogwarts) into the biggest envelope, and sat back down.

Sirius sat down beside her. "What now?" he asked.

"Well, I just...I don't know. I feel as though I owe the four of you something, and I hate that feeling. I cook for Mrs. P, mainly because I bully her out of the kitchen. I talk pranks with Mr. P. I fly with you and James and argue with Remus. Me and Jet try to give each other space, and it still feels...odd.

"I mean, I'm still hard-pressed to think that you and James care, or that the Potters don't mind us staying here. The start of term is coming up soonish, and...I don't know. I feel like I know so much about you guys, but I don't think either of you understand me and Jet." She looked down and realized that she had been unconsciously signing with her hands.

"Well," Sirius drawled. "You could start by explaining that." He pointed to her hands.

"Oh. Well, my brothers and I developed our own signs based on a deaf friend of ours. Her name was Joyce, and she went to school with Alexis and Matt." Kagumi smiled at the memory. "She taught us sign language, and then my brothers and I modified it for pranks. It makes for a good way of communication so that you don't give away your position."

"Ooh," Sirius said, eyes twinkling. "Maybe you should teach us."

Kagumi smiled indulgently. "Alright. How bout this?" She tapped her nose twice. "That generally means trouble. Or, 'You're in trouble,'." Then she scratched lightly at the space between her eyebrows. "That means...'Oh God', or 'Oi Vey' or what have you." And on the lesson went, until Sirius' brain was buzzing with the possibilities. Then, both sets of ears twitched at the same time.

"KAGUMI!" Jet's voice sounded far away, but panicked.

"Oh Goddess..." Kagumi paled starkly, then rushed to find her friend, with Sirius right behind her. "Jet! Keep talking, sweetie! Where are you?" Kagumi yelled as she rushed up the stairs.

"- - room!"

Kagumi turned on a dime and stopped at Jet's room. Almost afraid of what they'd find, Kagumi and Sirius looked at each other and slowly pushed open the door. Jet's legs were sticking out from behind her bed, and her hand was tapping the wall impatiently.

"Jet?" Kagumi asked slowly.

"Gumi? Oh, good, I was afraid I'd have to get one of the boys. I need a little help."

"I think that's apparent," Sirius whispered theatrically, then "Oww!" Kagumi smacked him soundly on the shoulder.

Bridget sighed. "Oh, well, nevermind about getting the boys. How lucky am I?"

"Jet, what's wrong?" Kagumi walked around to the bed, and stopped, staring at the situation with wide eyes. "Oh."

"Um, you'll laugh at me." Sirius could almost hear the cringe in Bridget's voice.

"I'm already smirking at you, so go ahead and tell me." Kagumi choked out.

"I'm...um…. well, I'm stuck behind the bed." Bridget sighed loudly again. "Are you trying to tell me that you didn't _notice?"_

"You know, one of these days I'm going to stop being surprised by anything you get yourself into."

Kagumi grunted as she pulled the headboard out from the wall and with a barely audible _pop_ Jet's head and right shoulder came free. Kagumi sat down on the floor, and watched as Jet pulled a battered beach towel from behind the headboard.

"This is why I don't like asking for help; people always find it so amusing. I mean, I've only done it once before."

Kagumi decided it was best to ignore the statement: there was just too much to work with for it to be fair teasing game. "So..._how_ did you get stuck?" Kagumi smirked, watching Jet blush as she noticed Sirius's barely contained amusement.

"I was looking for my towel," she said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I wanted to take a shower."

"But there are towels in the bathroom, Jet." Kagumi helped her friend to her feet.

"But they're not _my_ towel," Jet said, as if this made all the sense in the world.

In a way, it did, at least to Bridget, and not many people could argue logic with her. Kagumi watched as her friend spared Sirius, who had finally busted into tearful laughter, an amused glance before moving to the bathroom they shared. Suddenly, Kagumi couldn't bear to let another loved one slip away, and she was across the room before she was really conscious of moving.

"Jet!"

Kagumi waved her wand in Sirius's general direction and heard his startled shout as the door shut in his face.

"Yes?" Bridget asked. Her friend's voice was just as friendly as it normally was, anyone listening in would think that their relationship was in perfect shape, but her brown eyes, normally so warm and kind, were distant, cold even.

"Jet, I just..." Kagumi's well-intentioned speech fled from her. She faltered, looking away from the unfamiliar eyes. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I know it won't fix what's going on, and I know that maybe I should've heard you out, but I was afraid that maybe you were listening to your heart a little too much and I tried to overcompensate by using my head too much and neither of us was blameless, but the gloating was completely petty and unnecessary and I..." Kagumi paused to take a breath. "I'm sorry. And if you have any ideas...I promise that I won't shoot them down without at least hearing them out first." Kagumi's cheeks burned, but she stood her ground, waiting for Jet to say something, or turn away.

It was silent for a few seconds, although it seemed much longer, and Bridget gave Kagumi a searching look. "Okay, fine. Forgiven."

Although, as far as Kagumi knew, Bridget avoided outright lying as much as she could, she had the feeling that, even if she was forgiven, this would not be forgotten. At least, not for a very long time. Before Kagumi could say anything more, Bridget turned around and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Sirius stood, stretching as he did so. "Okay, I'm off to bed. It's getting late even for me. G'night everyone."

Kagumi groaned. "I'm tired, too, but I should probably put the brownies away before I go up."

She cast a longing look up at the ceiling where her room was before glaring at the kitchen. Sirius tried not to laugh. "If you didn't make so many of them, you wouldn't have to put them away. Even _we _couldn't eat that many in one night, and Mr. P can polish off two dozen on his own."

Gumi turned her glare to Sirius. "If you're not going to help," she said primly, "don't say anything at all. I could always _convince_ you to assist me, after all."

"Right." Sirius sidled away, towards the stairs. He knew when to quit. "I'm off, then."

She waved him off, and Sirius made his way up the stairs. James was involved in a book, so he didn't expect a response from his best friend. It was a rare occurrence for the other boy to be so focused on reading, but they all knew how to treat the situation. Shut up and let it happen unless Quidditch or life-or-death situations were involved.

He paused as he passed the door to Bridget's room. There were still small sounds coming from the room and he wondered if he should say good night, or at least check on her. She had seemed upset when she left that evening. He knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Sirius opened the door and walked in the room. He stopped short. Merlin's—

"Oh, Sirius." Bridget hurriedly shrugged on her robe, cinching it at the waist with a neat bow. "Sorry, I thought you were Gumi." She pushed her hair out of her eyes, avoiding his gaze and blushing pink. "Just let me find something to put my hair back and I'll—"

"No, leave it down. I - it looks nice."

Bridget turned sharply, eyes wide and her blush deepening. Sirius tried not to blush himself. He didn't know what had possessed him to say that. The girl was very pretty, but Sirius was sure that he had seen better. It might have been the innocence that pervaded everything she did; even half dressed she didn't seem to notice what she could do to a boy.

She was tall with killer legs that seemed to go on forever and what looked like a perfect hourglass figure. With a body like that, most girls would want to show it off or at least use it to get what she wanted, but Bridget didn't seem to even realize the power she had, spending most of her time in (thankfully) tight jeans and oversized t-shirts that he was pretty sure could fit him or James.

"Sirius?" She frowned at him, full lips drawn downwards, and concern in her big, brown eyes as she pushed the dark hair away from her face again. "Sirius, are you okay?"

He let himself examine her from her full, pink lips, practically begging to have the frown kissed off of, to the dark brown waves falling over her shoulders in a way that should be have him wanting to get her a brush instead of running his hands through it himself down to the too-big bathrobe clinging to her curves so perfectly it managed to be respectful even if he would do anything to see, feel what it was hiding. Sirius sighed.

Shit.

"Oh, um, yes. I'm fine." He grinned at her, back on familiar ground. "I was just wondering if you were feeling better."

Bridget smiled brightly. "Much better, thank you. I just had a bit of a shock, that's all."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes. It just occurred to me that I wasn't going to have my last school year with my friends. I spent most of twelve years with a lot of my classmates and it's going to be weird not graduating with them."

For a split second she looked heartbreakingly sad. It was soon covered by her blinding smile again, but Sirius was sure it had been there. He pulled her into a hug and tried to ignore the turn his brain was taking.

"Now you have new friends."

Sirius pulled back again, letting her go. She smiled briefly, avoiding his eyes. "I'm glad. Thank you."

"Well, I'm going to bed. I just wanted to check on you." He grinned at her. "Unless you want to come with me. I have no objections."

Bridget giggled prettily, eyes sparkling. "It's a wonder you don't have more girls falling at your feet, love," she managed to say between giggles. "I'll have to pass, though. Maybe another time."

She pushed him gently out of the room and he turned around, leaning lazily against the doorframe. Sirius bent down, so he was eye-level with her. "I'll have to hold you to that."

"You do and I'll tell Mrs. Potter, James, and Kagumi that you propositioned me and I feel uncomfortable. Good night, Sirius."

With one last smile, Bridget shut the door in his face. "Conniving!" he said loudly through the door. "I love that in a woman!"

Whistling, he turned to go to his bedroom, a huge grin on his face.

* * *

Bridget walked down from her, intent on curling up with one of her new books and a cup of hot chocolate while the adrenaline from her run made its way through her system. She passed through the living room (for the life of her she couldn't remember what Mrs. Potter had called it, it had been something fancy and… um… fancy) and into the kitchen before processing what she had seen on the couch and making a quick u-turn back into the other room.

He was lying on the couch, well, sprawled across it, in a manner that he managed to make look graceful and effortless. It seemed like James Potter only ever looked graceful when sleeping or flying; otherwise he was all arms and legs, like a newly recruited sailor getting his sea legs during stormy weather. There was a split second when Bridget almost walked right out of there and into the safety of her room—well, technically, she supposed it was his room, as he was the only heir to the Potter estate—but she had never been one to back off from something just because it frightened her, and, as much as she hated to admit it, James Potter scared her.

She knew who he grew up to be, who he really was under his egotistical, teenage-boy self. James was still completely full of himself and thought he had the right to do whatever he pleased, but he was essentially a brave, intelligent, caring, _good _person. He was destined to be a hero, he _was _a hero, and one wrong move, one wrong word from her could change his future. Even if she wasn't supposed to, Bridget knew that she could make everything right, or, at the very least, _better_, but she could also make it so much worse, and that power scared her.

James turned over, snuggling into—a package? That was… odd. It also looked rather uncomfortable, especially with his glasses pushed up like that and his legs hanging over the end of the couch. She couldn't leave him like that.

Bridget knelt down next to him. "James?" she whispered, not wanting to startle him too badly. "James." In response he hugged the package closer to him. She bit her lip and hesitated before gently shaking his shoulder. "James?"

"Huh?"

"James, wake up."

He slowly blinked his eyes open, focusing on her after a few moments. "Bridget?"

"Yeah. What are you doing down here?"

"I was waiting for you," he said. James sat up, stretching lazily.

"Well," Bridget said. "Good job, then. I'm here."

"It's all talent."

She took a sip out of the mug, trying not to smile. "Hm. Of that I'm sure. And what would you have done if I had taken my hot chocolate on up and passed you right on by?"

"You were unable to resist my manly—did you say hot chocolate?"

"Yup." He was wide-eyed with hope, so, with a sigh, she held the mug out to him. "Want some?"

He hesitated, but took it before handing the package to her. "Thanks. This came for you while you were out."

Bridget took it, frowning. She opened the brown paper slowly to reveal a large, brown leather book that she had never seen before.

"Was there a note with it?"

"No. This is really good hot chocolate."

"It's all talent," she murmured, opening the book cautiously. After all, this was the magic world, anything could be dangerous. "Oh my."

"What is it?"

"A photo album. My mum was making some for me and my friends. I guess she finished."

She opened it to the first page, looking at the pictures of her as a little kid with her oldest school friends. She hadn't really thought about it, but going to Hogwarts for her seventh year meant that she wouldn't be going to St. Michael's for her senior year, and after spending 12 years with her classmates, that was a bit much.

"Is that you?"

James was looking at a picture of her when she was about 5 or so (she could tell from her school jumper) and cover from head to toe in dirt and grass, looking deceptively innocent.

"Uh, yeah. It's a long story."

"Cute. Do you have any pictures of Gumi?"

Bridget frowned. She didn't—"Not when we were younger. Maybe…" She flipped to the back of the book, smiling triumphantly when she found the newest pages. "There!"

"Merlin's beard," James muttered, "that's _you_? And _her?_"

"Yes." She looked down at the picture, wondering what had him so worked up. It was just a picture of them at the beach. "What's wrong?"

"You're _hot," _he said, tone bordering on awe and staring at her with wide eyes. "And for once, she's not wearing shapeless clothing. Why don't you two wear that all the time?"

"Because. It's a bathing suit. You don't wear that all the time unless you're camping at the beach or something," replied Bridget. Her lips twitched, this was amusing. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Fine. I'm trying to burn the picture into memory."

"Why don't we look at some other photos?" She turned the page, ignoring James's disappointed groan. "I do wear a bathing suit quite often, you know. Most of my birthday parties were at the beach."

"Beach? We missed your birthday?"

James sounded upset and it took her a minute to understand what he was saying. Most places only had beaches that were comfortable to swim at (in a bathing suit) during the summer and they'd been there the entire summer.

"Oh, heavens no. My birthday's in December. I live in Hawaii, love, we have tropical weather year-round." She turned the page. "Gumi's birthday's coming up, though."

James smiled suddenly, eyes lighting up, and Bridget sighed; realizing what she'd gotten herself into.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Well, there it is. Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner than this last one. Gumi's still having difficulties with computer access, but we're making do with her limited Internet time and my limited time in general.

Thanks to _**itra, ellesra, **_and _**baby blue eyes10 **_for reviewing, _**baby blue eyes10, Queen of Monkey Magic **_and _**ellesra **_for putting us on AuthorAlert, _**Queen of Monkey Magic**_, and _**ellesra **_for putting DIN on StoryAlert, and _**ellesra **_for fav'ing us (both the story and us as authors).

_**Shameless Plug: **_Just so you all know, part of the reason why we're so spotty about updates is because I have two fics of my own that I'm posting, so without Gumi to push me to write this one as well, I tend to give my attention to the others. If you enjoy the story and my writing style, then perhaps you'll enjoy my stories as well. There's even one with time travel and the Marauders, if that's your cup of tea, and a trio-centric one. It's all under my other penname, JetGriffins89, under our favorite authors. Just a thought.


	11. A Word of Caution

_**Disclaimer: **__We own nothing except for the original parts of the plot, our interpretations, and our original characters._

_**Author's Notes: **_Notes.

Chapter Ten: A Word of Caution

Sirius woke up unusually early the next morning. It couldn't be much later than dawn from the little sun he could see, but he was wide awake and sure that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. He stretched, yawning widely, and searched through his trunk for a clean shirt to wear to breakfast. Even if the Potters liked having a relaxed morning meal, they would expect him to be fully clothed. He was also pretty sure Bridget would either not notice or roll her eyes at him if he did go down without a shirt on, and Sirius couldn't handle the blow to his ego so early in the morning (or the probable hex from either James or Gumi).

He was starting to worry that he was getting in too deep. After all, he normally would've asked her out by now, and probably had a nice snogging session. He didn't even know why he hadn't done either and Sirius wasn't too keen on examining the subject. Something just felt…different.

He stopped at the door to the living room, gray eyes widening at the sight in front of him. He couldn't help it; as much as he wanted to do otherwise, the scene held all of his attention like a Wronski Feint gone wrong. James and Bridget were nestled together on the Potters' large couch and they looked quite comfortable.

James was sitting upright, but sprawled out with his head against the back of the couch. His mouth was open and he was snoring softly. It was a position the Marauders had caught him in more than once, usually when he got caught up plotting something and fell asleep in the Common Room. This time, there was something different, though. Normally, James didn't have anyone else with him, and he most certainly had never had a girl tucked under his arm, curled around him like a content cat. Sirius half expected to hear purring.

As if he sensed Sirius watching, James woke with a small groan. Automatically, his right hand twitched—after six years of morning wake-ups, Sirius knew he was going to rub the sleep out of his eyes—but the arm was supporting Bridget's head and he saw James give her a confused, startled glance. He tried to gently remove the arm, but she let out a small sound that Sirius wouldn't forget as long as he lived, and snuggled closer.

James flushed red, and, patiently this time, moved out from under the girl, substituting a large cushion for his body. The shift allowed her to stretch out and Bridget let out a soft, content sigh. Smiling, James straightened his glasses and, stretching out the kinks that were, without a doubt, in his back after the night spent on the couch, turned and caught sight of Sirius.

He walked over to his best friend, still looking half-asleep.

"G'morning, mate," he mumbled through another yawn.

"Morning," Sirius replied shortly.

James stopped his trek to the bathroom, examining Sirius with sharp hazel eyes. His hand, which had been embedded in his messier-than-usual hair, dropped to his side and he groaned. He glanced to see if Bridget had woken up before leaning in to speak to Sirius.

"Don't be ridiculous, Padfoot," he said, sounding a little surprised. "Nothing happened. I'm not entirely dimwitted, you know. I remember the night they got here."

"Right. I forgot: You're a pillar of righteousness, aren't you?"

"Because you're such a good example," James shot back. He seemed to visibly rein his temper in and let out a harsh breath before continuing in a calmer voice. "I know she's your girl, Sirius. No need to get territorial. I'm no more attracted to her than Moony."

After a second Sirius decided that he couldn't resist the temptation and cracked a smile. "Either you're blind or I have to warn Moony. I never knew you swung that way.

James grinned in response. "Didn't want to give you unfair hope. We really weren't doing much. Fell asleep plotting. Did you know Gumi's birthday's coming up?"

"Yeah, she mentioned something about it. Seemed quite traumatized, the poor thing." Sirius's smirk seemed to hold nothing but trouble for his newfound friend.

#

Remus had never been in a more ridiculous situation. Well, that was a bit of an overstatement. Being friends with Sirius Black and James Potter had provided him with more than his share of absurd predicaments, but this was definitely in the top ten. He'd come down for lunch only to find a most unexpected scene.

In addition to his mother, who was the only unsurprising aspect, Remus had walked in on James and Bridget Griffins. Griffins was assisting his mother in making the stew, simultaneously chatting with her in a startlingly cheerful voice and keeping the food from James's adept hands. His mother noticed him first, giving him one of her soft, tired smiles (Was he imagining it or did it seem more… relaxed than usual?) as she set the table.

"Good afternoon, dear," she said.

Brid—Griffins spun around, smiling brightly at him in a way that he was getting used to; he staunchly ignoring the lifting sensation deep in his chest. "Hello, Remus," she greeted happily, as if she was genuinely pleased to see him. "Your mum said that you were doing homework, so James and I helped with lunch."

She swatted James away without even looking. He rubbed his hand where she had hit him glumly, sliding into the nearest seat. It wasn't fair, he thought morosely, that both Bridget and Gumi had the unnerving ability to know exactly when he or the other Marauders were reaching for unfinished food.

"'Lo, Remus," he said as he eyed the pot impatiently.

It was because the stew smelled so good that he remained down there without checking for Imperius charms. Then he learned that the recipe wasn't one of his mother's, but Bridget's and stopped eating, worried about the two bowls he'd already consumed. At least she'd eaten it, too; the thought held a surprising amount of comfort, unless the girl was suicidal. That stray idea set him on edge again and he narrowed his golden eyes in her direction.

"James," she said halfway through the meal as she handed the boy a roll he hadn't asked for, but still seemed to want, "I think we should get to the point now."

" 'Kay," he replied through his mouthful.

She waited while he took a few more bites; then gave him an exasperated look. "I _meant_ for you to tell him, but I guess I'll do it." Bridget turned her sharp brown eyes (she was a lot smarter than they gave her credit for) on Remus and he resisted the urge to flinch away, although he wasn't quite sure why he wanted to. "James and I came up with an idea."

"No," he replied instantly. After years of Marauder-ship, Remus had learned that it was best to protest from the beginning. It was easier to backtrack from a refusal than an acceptance. Bridget didn't seem deterred.

"Gumi's birthday is coming up," she continued as if he hadn't said a thing, "and we thought it would be best to throw her a surprise party to help her take her mind off of things." Bridget shrugged, giving him a small smile. "She's taking our sudden displacement worse than I am."

"Oh, the poor thing," his mother said, taking a bite of her own stew at last.

Remus gave her a surprised look. She'd been almost as uncomfortable about the situation after retrieving him as he'd been. Bridget must be really good at putting people at ease if she'd gotten his mother's sympathy. His mother had, however, felt more worried about Kagumi Pheonix, who was a much more imposing person, with her cold eyes and guarded stances. Bridget had nearly broken her neck when she tripped on her way in the door and his accident-prone mother had always felt more kinship with clumsy people.

He wondered if they could've known that beforehand, then decided against it as unlikely. No one could pretend to be as clumsy as Bridget seemed to be consistently.

"Yes, it's quite terrible," Bridget said. "We've already, well, _I've_ already spoken with Lily about it, and she said that we could use her house for the party. Sirius and Peter agreed to distract her and bring her to the thing, and Lily and I are making the food, but James needs help putting it all together." Her eyes were shrewd as they examined him, and her lips twitched up into an amused smirk. "I thought you'd prefer to help with decorating than distracting, give your dispositions towards each other."

His mouth said, "sure," before he realized she was finished speaking, and was left wondering why as she beamed approvingly at him.

#

Bridget woke up the morning of Gumi's party ready to go. She picked the remaining supplies from their hiding places (she had no reason to hide it, but that was the fun part) and stuffed it into her backpack. She made her way down the hall and knocked on Sirius's door. When he didn't answer, she walked across the hall to James's room and tried there.

Sirius opened the door with James peering over his shoulder. They were completely dressed for the day in nice trousers and button-up shirts, and Bridget briefly wondered if Gumi would notice the change in dress, but she'd only see Peter and Sirius, and thankfully, Sirius had a habit of dressing up randomly when the mood struck him. She smiled.

"There you are. Are you both ready?"

"Yeah," they replied in unison, giving her identical grins.

"Well, we should go then," she said cheerfully. "I still have to bake the cake, after all. These are your responsibility now, sweetheart." Bridget shoved the backpack into James's arms. "And do you know what you're doing, Sirius?"

He stepped out of James's room (James was still staring at the backpack in confusion) and put an arm around her shoulders, leading her towards the staircase. "Of course I do. You and Prongsy went ahead to help Lily with something—make it up if she asks what—and we have to wait for Peter, who won't arrive until five minutes before two."

"And what do you need to remember?"

"No explosions," Sirius replied confidently.

Bridget frowned. "Um, well, yes, that would be good. But, I was talking about not _ruining the surprise_."

"Oh, right," he drawled. "That too."

"Yes, Sirius, that, too, and don't explode anything."

#

Lily had been worried about having the Marauders in her house again, but it was a little less frightening with Bridget and Remus there to keep Potter on track, then Gumi and Peter when Black arrived. She had just finished washing the breakfast dishes when the doorbell rang. Then it rang again. And again.

She rushed to the door before it could happen a fourth time, wrenching it open and ready to scold Potter for being ridiculous, but Bridget was already doing so.

"They heard it after the first time, James," she was saying. "You don't need to keep on pushing the button. It's annoying."

"But, it tells them when we're outside. How'd a Muggle come up with this?"

"Magic," Bridget drawled.

He noticed Lily standing there and gave her a very familiar smirk, running a hand through his hair. "Hey, Evans," he said in a voice lower than usual; as usual, it only made her even more determined not to like him.

She sighed. "Potter."

"Hi, Lily, ready to go?" asked Bridget. "Remus and James are in charge of the decorations and they have strict instructions about what to do and what _not _to do. I thought it would be easier if we cooked."

"Do you know how to use Muggle appliances?" she asked, leading them towards her living room.

"Yes, of course. I _will_ need help getting the food out of this backpack, though. I'm not sure how to reverse the spells Sirius used," Bridget responded easily. She gave Lily a sideways glance, a hesitant smile on her face. "We met Petunia outside."

Lily froze. That couldn't have been good; Petunia barely tolerated her own sister. "You did?"

"Yeah. Remus seemed to make a good impression at first." Bridget's smile widened. "Then she realized we were your friends."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Gumi and I are both very used to irritable relatives. But let's get started, since we only have a few hours." Bridget opened the bag and she and Lily set about trying to reverse the spells Sirius had used. One of Bridget's books, (one she had borrowed from Kagumi) fell out of the bag last. Lily picked it up curiously. It was titled _Moon Called_, and was a Muggle fiction book about creepy crawlies in the night. Lily's eyebrows kept going up as she read the back of the book, and finally looked at Jet.

"You know, I heard about this anti-lycanthrope group not long ago," she said thoughtfully, with the air of wanting a second opinion. Jet's ears quirked and she turned around from slicing some vegetables.

"Really?" Jet asked, sounding only mildly interested, but Lily didn't know the girl well enough to tell whether she was putting on an act or not.

"Yeah. It's strange, though. There was a spot in the Prophet. Hang on, let me go get it." Lily nipped out of the kitchen and then came back, waving a newspaper clipping from the start of summer.

_Turmoil Under the Full Moon!_

_How many of us are afraid of the monsters in the dark? asks promising Junior Reporter Rita Skeeter. _

"_I know I am," Lucius Malfoy, Hogwarts Governor, said. "The very thought of those horrid things is enough to make me nauseous." _

_Malfoy, who was married earlier this spring to long time sweetheart__,__ Narcissa Black, confesses a deep seated fear of 'those things.' And what are those things? Why, werewolves and other lycanthropes, of course._

_In fact, a new study, conducted of Ministry personnel, shows that 97% of Ministry workers, both civilian and DMLE, are terrified of werewolves. "I think we should simply eradicate them all," confided Dolores Umbridge, a hardworking member of the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures._

_Late last winter, after the shocking mauling of a young girl by one Fenrir Greyback, the new Lycanthrope Registry Program caused a lot of bustle in the public eye. Many violently protested _("Ha!" Lily burst angrily. "Yes, and Voldemort wanted a pony as a child." Jet looked askance at her before continuing to read.)_ to the new Registry, which forces any Lycanthrope emigrating to or born in the British Isles to complete a form stating that they are in fact a Were-creature of some sort._

_Now, to add a bigger explosion to the cauldron, there's a new cloak-and-dagger routine, caused by an Anti-Lycanthrope movement. We don't know their names, we don't know their faces and we don't know what type of jam they like. What we DO know is that these people mean business. They mean to publicly and personally expose every Lycanthrope they come across and Merlin help whoever stands in their way._

_These people are on the warpath, one that many consider to be the right path. As of now, the group (whose name has yet to be divulged) has been petitioning the Ministry of Magic, and the Minster for access to the Registration list, and have been denied that access to protect the rights of these "citizens." As of now, the Registration is anonymous, and is only revealed during a criminal trial. What about our rights to safety and protection against these creatures?_

_In addition to the AL groups, there are groups fighting for "Werewolf Rights," who say that just because they turn large and hairy doesn't mean that they're monsters. These activists claim that werewolves are "unjustly discriminated against," for something that is beyond their control. They say that werewolves are people "just like everyone else" most of the time. But, really, are they?_

_99% of all Lycanthropes are mentally ill, or else extraordinarily violent. Some even live in packs in the wilds, human in body only. A race for a cure or a control mechanism is under way, but so far it looks very grim._

"_We're having problems getting volunteers," admits Tanaka Irokiss, the head Healer on the project. "Most Lycanthropes refuse to allow someone to witness their transformations, and nearly all of them __have no sense of who they are. It's difficult to tell if our tests are accurate, or even if we're trying to identify the right sort of data. For now," the young Healer says, pushing his glasses up his nose, "All we can hope is that these poor mons - - I mean, victims are willing to come to us for help."_

_Still, the mysterious group has yet to deliver on their promises, and we have to wonder just how much they can really do._

Bridget folded the newspaper, postmarked about two days before she and Gumi had arrived, and shook her head disgustedly. "They talk about them like they aren't even human!"

"What are your views on it, Bridget?' Lily seemed truly interested.

"I think that they're as human as you or I. They have to suffer through all of this persecution and resentment for something that can't even be controlled, and a lot of the problems that occur with werewolves—lack of treatment, wolf packs, planned attacks—can be attributed to reactions to being told repeatedly that they're nothing more than animals that must be exterminated. I think the real monsters are the ones that hold the papers and try to tell someone that they're not human."

Once they had finished the food (apparently she was going to make some sort of Hawaiian meal Gumi enjoyed), and Bridget was busy decorating the over-sized cake she'd baked, Lily went to make sure Potter hadn't damaged anything irreparably. She didn't expect them to be having a serious discussion.

"I still don't trust them," Remus was saying as he handed the other boy some balloons.

"You seem to trust Bridget well enough."

"Well, she knows how to seem… innocent."

Potter gave Remus a level look. It wasn't as effective with red crepe paper in his hair (they seemed to have a Gryffindor theme for the birthday). "Moony, I'm pretty sure she _is _innocent. That girl has the purity of a child. You don't spend all day with them."

"Fine. But, what about Pheonix? She pulled a knife on you and Padfoot."

"She thought we were Death Eaters." James grunted again, standing on a small ladder to tape some crepe paper streamers to the ceiling.

"That's what she _said_."

"Don't be ridiculous, Moony," he sounded exasperated, like they'd had the discussion before. "Besides, you don't know anything about her but what you choose to see."

"How can we know she's not lying? And she didn't seem too upset about being here when I saw her."

"Maybe that was because you had her at wandpoint? She reminds me of you, actually," James grunted, wrestling with shimmering paper (Which seemed to be winning the fight), "very private and controlled. I don't think she'd ever admit it, at least to us. Jet has a better chance of knowing if she's upset than we do." His voice dropped so Lily could barely hear it. "I'm worried about Bridget just as much, honestly. I don't think any of this was planned. Bridget's been going to the same school for twelve years, and Gumi's always worried about her family, although I thought she was going to hit her brother when he came to drop her trunk off."

She decided that this was more than enough and stepped out just as Bridget left the kitchen. Lily was a little surprised how perceptive Potter was, and the two girls weren't even a part of his exclusive group. Maybe he wasn't as self-centered as she thought he was; that train of thought, however, led to uncertain places.

"Is everything ready?" she asked. "They should be here soon."

"Of course, my darling Lily-flower," Potter said in that same ridiculous voice he always used when talking to her. Lily heard Jet snicker behind her, and Remus rolled his eyes. "Missed me?"

He tried to lean on the ladder he had been using, and fell. Remus had already put it away; he shook his head sadly, and Bridget tried to stifle her laughter, ducking back into the kitchen in an attempt to avoid embarrassing her new friend further. Lily sighed as Potter hit the floor, hard, and sent his glasses flying. She tried not to laugh; she really did.

"Like I miss O.W.L.s."

#

Kagumi stumbled out of the Floo, sneezing madly. Sirius exited a moment behind her, and someone caught her arms before she fell to the floor. Eyes watering, she looked up into Peter's concerned face.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just the ashes irritated my allergies." She patted him on the head absently. Kagumi was mildly suspicious, having an idea about where this was going, but played along.

"The cars are outside, Kagumi. Come on," Sirius said, leading her outside while Peter followed. Kagumi waved over her head at Tom the Barkeep, and then let herself be steered out the door. Sirius's car, and it could be no one else's, was a bright scarlet color. In itself, the color wasn't too uncommon, but the gold trim certainly was.

"James has a dark blue, 1960 Bentley Continental, although he uses the '62 S2 Mulliner Drophead for discrete driving, too." Sirius shrugged. "I mean, everything except the '62 is technically his dad's and he likes Bentley cars and only buys British, but he has a Jaguar, a few Rolls, and an Aston Martin. Mine is a '62 Aston Martin DB4 Drophead Coupe."

Kagumi blinked at him, and Peter leaned over. "Don't worry about," he whispered, "Remus and I don't understand a word of their car-talk either. I just know that James drives faster and Sirius modifies his in ways that can't be completely legal. He keeps talking about getting a motorbike, too."

"Oh, it's not that. I can speak Car and Driver as well as anyone; I'm just impressed by the information. We'll have to mention it to Bridget; she loves cars, too. Her dad has a, um, '57 Chevy, but I can't remember what model."

"I changed the horn to the roar of a lion," Sirius finished, beaming proudly at them. She shook her head, smiling. It was certainly something Sirius would do.

"Just don't use it in the city, alright?" she asked. "We want to stay somewhat normal."

"We're Marauders, Kagumi," Sirius said, affronted. "We don't do normal."

#

Kagumi sat in the passenger set with Peter in the back and Sirius driving. She was still nervous about letting him drive, but it was his car and everything was backwards in England.

"Padfoot, you know the way to Lily's, right?

"Of course, Gumi, really, you should have more faith in us. We never disappoint," Sirius said, hands behind his head.

"Sirius!" Peter yelled, hurriedly fastening his seatbelt. "Put your hands on the wheel!"

"Why?" he inquired, looking curiously over the backseat.

"Uh, Padfoot, I really don't want to die today..." Kagumi said, her voice tight. "Don't you need to steer?"

"Nope. One of my better ideas: it steers itself."

"Oh... well..." Peter muttered in the back. Kagumi reached her hand behind her and patted his hand absently.

As the cars pulled down the long, twisted streets of London, Kagumi smiled. Even though clouds were rolling in, even though it was her birthday, even though she hated surprises and knew that something was going on, she was still happy_. Being around the boys has really mellowed me_, she mused_. I'm not nearly as violent as usual..._

After about an hour, part of which had been spent on winding country lanes, the cars came to a stop in a small neighborhood, about ten minutes from the London Exit. It was a white house, with a dark wooden door, and gardens out front. But the gardens weren't neat and tidy; weeds grew here and there, and climbing vines covered nearly one half of the house. Kagumi smiled; it was beautiful.

"Come on, love," Sirius opened her door for her, helping her out into the street as Peter swung his own door open. Walking up the path, the group got to the door when it swung open and Kagumi was pushed inside, into the dark living room. She heard the door close, and for one wild moment was terrified that she'd been kidnapped before the lights came back on and she laughed. "Happy Birthday!" chorused seven or eight voices.

The room was done in red and gold crepe paper, reminding her of a circus tent with the way it billowed out in the middle. There was a snack platter with small finger-foods and fruits on it, as well as the meal Bridget had cooked. Turning to her friend, Kagumi said, "You remembered."

"Well, it was the only recipe you asked me for, figured that meant you liked it." The girl shrugged, pushing her friend forward. There was a small pile of presents waiting on a table, and a boombox pouring out 70s music from both Britain and America. Head bobbing a little to beat, Kagumi turned to the doorway and saw Lily Evans, standing there with her parents, clapping.

"Can we eat now?" Sirius stage-whispered to James, who smacked him lightly on the head.

"No. Gumi says when we eat."

"Oh, hell," Sirius sighed. "I'll never get to eat."

Gumi smiled, curtsying to Lily's parents, who were going to their backyard to give them some privacy while remaining in shouting range, and headed for the kitchen. Bridget and Lily followed her as she sat at the table, head in hands. "What's wrong?" Lily asked worriedly.

"Nothing, I just..." The girl's shoulders shook. "I just love you guys." She burst out laughing, amused at the whole situation. Bridget smiled and sat in one of the chairs, not at all surprised by the other girl's slightly insane reaction. Kagumi's eye was caught by a glint of silver on the table, and she grabbed for it. Her hand came back holding _Moon Called_. Seeking out Bridget's eyes, Kagumi looked at the book pointedly, hoping that Lily hadn't noticed the publication date.

"I forgot it was in my bag."

"So it's your book, Gumi?" Lily asked. "I've never seen it before."

"That's right." Kagumi's voice was cool, wary. "It must only have American publication."

"Bridget and I had a discussion earlier, you know, about our opinions on werewolves. Let me show you something." Lily grabbed the piece of parchment that held Skeeter's article, watching Kagumi's facial expressions; which went from blank, to shocked, and then infuriated as she read. Finally, she slapped the offending piece of parchment down on the table, knuckles white.

"How _dare_ she?" the girl growled. Sirius and James, who'd been creeping towards the kitchen to find out what had happened to the girls, froze in place. One finger to his lips, James edged forward until he could see the three at the table.

"Gumi?" Bridget started. She didn't want this to get out of hand.

"That - - That - - OH!" Kagumi twisted her hands around themselves, one of the first Marauder signs she'd taught them. It meant extreme rage, or the wish to do violence.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked worriedly.

"No, I'm bloody well not alright!" Sirius winced; Gumi only swore when severely angry. "If I could get my hands on that little bug, I'd strangle her with own nonsense! Just because they suffer from a disease doesn't make them monsters!"

"So, I take it you think the same as we do?" Lily asked.

"Well, that depends. I'm all for werewolf rights. They should be treated the same as any other person, and I don't think the law is fair. The legal system certainly seems biased enough. I mean, it's not as if they walked up to the wolf and said, 'Mr. Wolf, I want to turn rabid and furry once a month, please oh please bite me so that I can live in downcast fear, without a real home or job and with idiots who don't understand me discriminating against me for THE REST OF MY LIFE!'" Kagumi's hands gripped the edge of the table. She took a deep, calming breath.

_This is too good to be true_, Sirius said with an evil glint in his eye.

_Indeed. Now if we could just get them to stop fighting quite so much... _James signed back. _ It's time for some Marauding..._ The two sneaked back towards Remus and Peter, who was poking at packages suspiciously. Remus looked up and caught the look the two friends shared, which automatically put him on the defensive.

"Whatever you're thinking about doing, don't."

In the kitchen, Kagumi took several steadying breaths, and looked at her friends, the red fading from her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Lily. This is supposed to be a party, right? I didn't mean to get that angry." The girl flushed a bit, unsure as to whether Lily's glance had something to do with her reaction, or to the fact that she'd just completely overreacted. _I tend to do that..._

"No, it's alright. I didn't realize that you felt so strongly about it," The girl said, rising from the table. Bridget followed and Kagumi deliberately put _Moon Called_ over the article, lest she decide to rip it into tiny shreds. Standing up, she followed her friends to the party room in time to see Remus poke a curious finger in the direction of the longest package.

"Oy, stay away from the presents!" Sirius said, pelting the lanky boy with a piece of chocolate.

"Yeah," James contributed, throwing a piece of chocolate as well. "That's the present we got her!"

"Guys," Kagumi protested. "That's perfectly good chocolate wasted..."

The party went onwards, with the snacking and the dancing. One of the highlights of the day was when James and Sirius, switching the lead, did a ridiculously somber tango to the Jackson 5 song, "ABC," and on one of the turn outs, Sirius pulled in Lily as his partner, while James grabbed Kagumi. Bridget watched, eyes dancing with laughter as Sirius dipped Lily nearly to the floor. Kagumi then dipped James, and accidentally let him fall when she lost her footing. The sweep of her legs took out Sirius's left foot and the other two dancers came crashing down into a large pile of tangled limbs.

"I though we weren't playing Twister until later?" Peter said jokingly, causing everyone to laugh.

"That's a good idea," Lily said, extracting herself from the pile of now wrestling friends. She got the game box and put the mat down on the cleanest bit of floor. "Who's going to spin?" Bridget's hand shot up immediately, followed shortly by Remus's. He shot her a look of aggravation and lowered his arm. "You're the spinner, Bridget?"

"Yep," the girl replied, muffled by the fact that her head was currently buried in a medium sized black bag. She raised up, pulling out a tripod and camcorder; the boys stared at it uncomprehendingly.

"What in the name of Dumbledore's grey beard is that?" James asked.

"It records movies. And yes, Lily, I should be the spinner, because we've all seen my coordination skills. I have trouble with flat, stable surfaces, let alone trying to do yoga with six other people. I'd kill us all," she added brightly. Kagumi nodded fervently and Jet threw a wad of crepe paper at her, laughing as she set up the recorder. Within a few moments, she announced the starting position as blue.

"Left hand, red." The first few movements were essentially easy, until the game got about halfway done. At that point ("Left foot, green.") Kagumi had to slide the lower half of her body underneath Sirius and Remus, which led to some interesting looks all around. Switching to a crab-walk position brought Kagumi nearly nose to nose with Remus, and both blushed; Sirius caught James and Peter's eye, quite a feat, seeing as James was on the other side of the mat, and smiled broadly.

"Left hand, yellow!" Bridget called out, sounding terribly amused. Kagumi looked and saw that the closest yellow was located right near Sirius's head; it also happened to be right under Remus's arm. Inching carefully, she got her fingers onto it when James's foot slipped on the mat, knocking Remus's leg down...and right on top of Kagumi. Reflexively, his arms went up to land right by her shoulders.

"Oof!" he grunted. Kagumi lay still from shock, her face slowly turning crimson as Remus's nose was buried right against the hollow of her throat. Her eyes closed and for a moment, just one moment, the heat of his body felt natural. Bridget giggled, and watched as Sirius secretly high-fived James when neither teen made any move to try and get up. _Oh, my_, Kagumi thought, as Remus shifted his head up a little, sending shivers cascading down her back.

"Uh, Lupin?" _Please get up before I have to snog you..._ she pleaded, trying to wriggle out from under him and only succeeding in gluing their bodies together even more.

"Don't say anything," he gritted through his teeth. "I'll get up as soon as Peter gets off of my leg." Slowly, Sirius and James each grabbed one of Peter's hands and lifted the stammering boy up from the sexually tensed catastrophe he'd created, with a little help from the two of them.

Kagumi didn't meet anyone's eyes as she muttered, "Seems to be my day to be clumsy."

"Well," Lily said, eyes dancing, "that was fun."

"Speak for yourself," Remus grumbled, dusting his shirt off, still blushing.

"But now," she continued, ignoring the boy's sour looks, "we should eat."

Kagumi walked by Bridget as the group filed into the kitchen, taking the camera off of its tripod and carrying it with them into the other room. "If I ever see that video, I will destroy it," she warned cheerfully.

"I know," Bridget replied just as cheerfully, "That's why you will never see it."

#

Kagumi's eyes avoided Remus for over an hour as she picked at the large slice of birthday cake (done in red and gold, of course). Sirius and James then carried her (literally) into the living room and set her in front of the presents, forcing a red-and-gold crown made of leftover wrapping paper onto her head. The rest trickled back in there as well, and Sirius sanctimoniously handed the first, which turned out to be from Bridget.

"God, it's heavy," Kagumi said, hefting the square package. Opening the paper revealed a large book, with a bright grey cover. "_Why You Don't Beat Bludgers __On Tuesdays__: Wizarding Traditions of the Modern Era._ Hm, thanks Jet!" Kagumi smiled at her friend, oblivious to the way the boys were slowly turning pink.

A few minutes later, there was a tap at the window. Bridget looked up from the recorder and did a double take. "Is that Pueo?" Kagumi turned to look.

"Sure looks like her."

James got up to let the irritated owl in. "Looks like she's carrying a package too," he said, taking it from her; Gumi offered the owl a drink of her tea, smiling when the bird settled on her shoulder and preened a strand of her hair before flitting over to Bridget and doing the same.

"I wonder what's in here..." Kagumi said, turning over the card, which was simply signed, "The Irritating Cousin and Marvelous Brother." She opened the box, which turned out to be a shoebox, and her eyes got wide. "I'm gonna kill them," she said in a somewhat strangled whisper.

"What's wrong, Gumi?" Bridget peeked her head inside the box as well, and one eyebrow shot skywards. Without warning, the girl started laughing so hard she was bent over, clutching her stomach and gasping for breath. Everyone ignored her, instead watching as Kagumi pulled out a largish circular thing with what looked like headphones, only Lily had never seen them that small, and a couple of strange, rectangular boxes with wires.

"I can't believe them..."

"What is that?" Sirius asked, craning his neck to look at the thing in her hand.

"It's..." Kagumi looked helplessly at Bridget.

"It's something my nutty cousin invented a while ago." Bridget shrugged at Gumi. After all, they couldn't very well say that it was something from the future.

"Well, he had help from my brother. They've been friends a long time. It plays music."

"But the titles they sent are just..."

Jet shook her head, trying not to laugh again. Kagumi moved some of the CDs around, grimacing with every title she saw. Backstreet Boys, N*SYNC, Britney Spears... they must've lost their minds...

"C'mon, Gumi," Bridget teased, "you must've owned at least one of these when we were but small middle-schoolers. It was all the rage."

"I _never _owned a bubble-gum pop CD, thank you very much, and I wouldn't admit it if I did. Why, did you?"

"Hell no, of course not, but I hung out with the boys, so that might have something to do with it. I'm still pretty sure I know all their big songs. Um, let's see… 'Backstreet's Back', 'Dirty Pop', 'Oops, I Did It Again', 'Come on Over'," Bridget grinned. "I can go on. I think we should listen to it. See what you remember…"

"No. Besides, don't you want to hide your sordid past?"

"No… not when it's more amusing to see you squirm. My friends would sing these silly songs all the time and I picked it up from there. I think I may or may not know the dances, too."

"No."

"But, it'll be _fun._"

"Moving on," Kagumi firmly shut the box, setting it far out of Bridget's reach, and moved onto the next package. Only Bridget caught the half-signed comment: _Let's see how the boys react first._

"And Peter got me...Oh!" Kagumi's eyes sparkled as she pulled out a small thin box. "It's a locket!" she said, slipping the long golden chain over her head. It rested perfectly in the hollow of her throat and she hugged Peter, who flushed slowly at Sirius and Remus' glares, albeit for different reasons.

Lily ended up getting her a wand-caring kit, which was a nice gesture, and when Remus's present found its way onto her lap she looked at him. "A cookbook?"

He shrugged. "I knew you liked to cook."

"Right. Thanks." her voice was less than enthusiastic, which wasn't because Remus got her a cookbook, it was because of the title_: 101 of the Simplest Meals on Earth: a Step by Step Guide._ _I wonder if he's __**trying**__ to make her mad_, Sirius wondered idly, watching as she carefully set the book aside. _I'll talk to him later._

But Kagumi's favorite present was the one Sirius and James plunked on her lap. It was wrapped in red and gold, with little lions that actually roared when she moved the package. Amazed, because there was no way this could be what she thought it was, she opened the ribbon, and the seams on the package fell apart. Kagumi gasped.

"James...Sirius..." she breathed, tears actually standing in her eyes. Bridget smiled, knowing it was the perfect present for Kagumi. The girl's hands trembled as she stroked the gleaming wood of her first broomstick. "I love it." Broom in one hand, she grabbed James and hugged him first, hard. And then she grabbed Sirius around the neck; Lily only watched as she was swung around by the laughing boy.

"They're close, aren't they?" she asked Bridget.

"Strangely. I think it's the Quidditch," Jet said as Kagumi was dizzily set on her feet. "Or it could be the matching brain damage."

"I heard that!" Kagumi yelled, still weaving slightly. Bridget flashed her a cheeky wave and dodged a wad of wrapping paper that, quite literally, roared past her.

"It's only a Nimbus 1001," James warned, when she'd sat back down amid much laughter. "We tried to find you a Silver Arrow, but we couldn't find at such quick notice."

"James, I love it! How could I not?" Kagumi cheeks were flushed with happiness, and Bridget smiled; Gumi was as Quidditch-mad as any wizard. With a sigh, Kagumi propped the broomstick against the wall, she helped clean up the paper mess ("No, Sirius, we are not using Scourgify. We don't want to get Lily in trouble") and do the dishes. Lily stammered a thank you, drying while Kagumi washed.

"Many happy returns, by the way," Lily said, toweling off the last plate.

"Thank you, Lily. This means a lot to me."

"I know." There was a pause as she placed the last glass in the cupboard, and then she said, "So will you be playing for your House?"

"I hope so. I mean, I'm a little scared that I'll be Sorted into Slytherin, but I think a lot of what I've heard is just House Prejudices. I mean, they can't all be bad." Kagumi drained the water, wiping out sink as it cleared.

"A lot of them are," Lily admitted, "but I've had friends there. They're not all terrible."

"Really?" Kagumi asked. "That's good to know. Although, I really hope I get the chance to play for Gryffindor. Sirius and I partnered well the last time we played pick-up Quidditch." Absently, Kagumi scratched at the paper crown, which seemed to be wilting from the dish spray.

"Interesting..." Lily murmured. "He's never worked very well with his other partners, except for James, of course, and they usually play different positions."

"Oh, it's 'James' now, not 'Potter?'" Kagumi teased.

"...Shut up." Lily splashed the girl with her wet fingers, laughing.

#

After the things put away, and the girls had gotten back to the Potter Manor, Remus started to walk quietly out the door. A thin, short body in his way stopped him. "Where're you going?" Kagumi asked in a soft voice.

"Home," he said shortly.

"You know, Lupin, I don't know what you have against me, but I wish you'd give me a chance. I'm not that bad." With her lips drawn tight, she hurried back to the foyer, where James was busy playing a strangely exciting game of chess with Bridget. Remus told himself that there was no reason to watch the girl's retreat, even if he felt a little twinge of guilt. _She does seem... __al__l right. Not what I expected, at any rate._ Remus started once again to go through the door when he heard a deliberate scuffing sound. Trying to ignore the way that Kagumi's lingering perfume made his vision swim, he turned.

"Moony." Sirius voice cut through the night air with ease; he'd heard that tone of voice before, and it was never good. Once upon a time, it had been one of the voices that had set Remus' heart pounding. "A word of caution, my good friend." Sirius' voice was falsely jovial.

"Yes, Sirius?" Remus said politely, trying to censer his thoughts from the last time he'd heard Sirius use that voice.

"I don't know why you insist on thinking the worst of her, but I'm going to say this now: I'm tired of it." There was no need to define who 'her' was. Sirius's gray eyes were narrowed, his arms folded as he stepped in Remus's way. Remus sighed irritably, and went to brush past him when Sirius grabbed his arm.

"That girl is one of the nicest people I've ever met, Remus." The use of his first name wasn't lost on the other boy. "I'm tired of you treating her like a criminal."

"I don't know any other way to treat people, Sirius." Remus's golden eyes flashed in the rising moonlight, only a few days away from being full; he wasn't feeling his best. "Not everyone is as accepting as you."

Sirius got very close, and Remus shivered; he could feel the other's boy's body heat and he broke out into a light sweat. Eyes half-closed, he listened to the cadence of Sirius's voice.

"I'm not going to choose between you two, and neither will James." Remus could feel the boy's breath on his cheek. "I mean it, either give her a break, or I'll break you. You might be surprised what you learn about them."

Releasing his arm, Sirius strode away, back into the house, where Kagumi's silvery voice could be heard laughing at something James had said.

Embarrassed and angry with himself, Remus Apparated to his front door. Lost in thought, he didn't notice the smell of strangers until it was too late. The last thing he saw, as he took out his wand to undo the wards on his house, was a flash of painfully red light shooting towards him.

#

"Wakey, wakey, little wolfie." The mocking voice was accompanied by a hand that grabbed his hair painfully. Wrenching his eyes open, Remus first impression was a lot of black. As his blurry vision sharpened, though, he could make out individual shapes. There were three black-robes figures in white masks, one of which was holding his hair, twisting his head back into an almost painful position. Growling softly, Remus pulled his head away, not caring about the handful of hair the man still held.

"Hm, this one still has some spirit." The tallest of the three leaned down close to Remus' face, and slapped something on his wrists. A shock of pain, and the faint smell of burning flesh told Remus that whatever was on his wrists was made of silver_. Shit... There are times that I wish I wasn't more allergic to silver than other werewolves_. Since he'd been small, silver had affected him worse than it had any werewolf he'd ever heard of.

"You've gotten complacent, Lupin..."

"Wha'?" he asked foggily, the silver already getting into his bloodstream.

"You thought you were just like the rest of us, didn't you? You thought you could have friends, an education, even a real _home_." The first man grabbed the back of Remus's shirt collar, ripping it a bit, and dragged him to a tiny little cell at the end of a hallway. "Now, you'll be revealed for the animal you really are."

Even to Remus's blurry eyes, the paint sparkled unnaturally, and it smelled bad in here. It reeked of sweat, death and fear. Lots of fear. Shivering slightly, Remus heard a woman arguing with the men, something about the full moon. There was a resounding smacking sound, and the protests stopped.

_It's ironic,_ he thought_, that the thing I feared most about people knowing is the only thing that could possibly save me..._ He shook his head. _ Castles in the sky, Lupin; no one's coming for you..._With that sad thought running through his head, Remus Lupin slipped away to a place where he could barely feel the silver slowing his heart.

#

Albus Dumbledore hummed softly on his way up the path to the Lupins's house. Veronica had invited him for tea that morning, and he fully intended to take advantage of her wonderful homemade scones as well as the chocolate always present in the home. With that happy thought, he turned about to knock on the door when he stepped on something cylindrical. Looking down curiously, he saw what looked like a wand. Not only was it without an owner, but it was slightly askew, suggesting that it had been dropped in a hurry. He picked it up, and quickly identified it as the one Remus Lupin had carried since his first year at Hogwarts.

"Oh, dear..."

- - - -

- - - -

_**Author's End Notes:**_ Sorry for the cliffie, but updates should be a tad more common. We've pretty much gotten the next few chapters shaped, but no guarantees; it could change in the blink of an eye. And in any case, you know our rule: If you Read, you must Review. Let us know how we're doing, give us ideas, tell us to bugger off, any kind of feedback.

I've got to go to work now, but maybe I can has reviews when I get it? -hopeful look-

And yes, I know that Kagumi was unusually clumsy today. There's a reason for that.

Oh! -snaps fingers- That's right, I meant to mention...No need to glare at me, Jet...We're posting longer chapters to make up for our ungodly hiatus length.


	12. Wolfnapped and Rescued

**Disclaimer:** Did I miraculously change my name to Jo? No. Did Jet? No. Then we don't own anything except for the original situations and original characters.

**Author's Notes:** More notes? I has to go to work now...Maybe I can get some reviews?

**Chapter Eleven: Wolfnapped and Rescued**

After the success of Kagumi's birthday party the day before the group had decided to throw Peter a birthday party before they went back to Hogwarts. It was, all in all, a fine idea and gave each person an excuse to do the things they liked best: Bridget got to bake, or at least plan for baking; Sirius and James got to brainstorm pranks; and Kagumi got her small, if adept hands on the menu plans. The only person missing from the planning was Remus, and they hadn't been able to get hold of him. Bridget had sent him an owl earlier, but had gotten no response; there hadn't even been a response when James Flooed.

Kagumi looked at her watch for the fifth time. "Isn't Lupin supposed to _be_ here by now? At this rate we're never going to get Pete's birthday planned."

Sirius and James exchanged a wry look. Jet simply sighed simultaneously picking at one of the leftover brownies ("Ha! I knew I hid some," Kagumi had said, upon showing Bridget the locking mechanism she'd put on the kitchen cabinets) and reading her sixth year Potions text.

"Kagumi, darling, I think your American is showing. Again. Have some patience. He'll be here," she muttered, still looking at the Potions text. "And that sounds absolutely disgusting…." She made a thoughtful noise. "I wonder how long it'd take to make." She turned the page, grimacing as she kept reading, muttering something about making Gumi study some more.

"Actually," a weary voice said, somewhere in the vicinity of the fireplace. "He won't be here. Not without help."

Albus Dumbledore stepped into the room, surveying the assembled with a flicker of hope. He rubbed his temples, as if trying to ease an ache. Kagumi glared daggers at the Headmaster (then again, she tended to glare at just about everything and everyone when cross; once, she'd even kicked a chair, prompting it to ask, in Mr. Potter's voice, what exactly it had done to her lately). Idly, and with a familiarity that the Headmaster would never have expected to see him have with anyone outside of the Gryffindors' selective circle, Sirius pulled on the bristling girl's arm and she fell into the seat beside him. Dumbledore turned around, hands resting on either side of the fireplace for a long moment.

"Well," James said. He ran a hand through his hair. "Where is Remus? Did he get tied up doing something else?"

"Yes, in a manner of speaking, you could say that." Dumbledore sighed deeply, turning to look at each of them in the eyes. "Remus Lupin has been captured."

All four teenagers looked at Dumbledore in shock, identical looks of dismay on each face. Kagumi seemed completely horrorstruck.

Jet blinked. "Uh… wanna run that by me again, Dumbles?" she asked shakily.

"Remus Lupin has been captured," he repeated.

James asked, "Who did it?" at the same time Sirius tried to ask, "Where is he?" and both ended up jumbling their words. Kagumi sat in silence, the confusion slowly turning to anger on her petite face. Albus held up both hands, and everyone quieted. She looked expectedly at Professor Dumbledore; after all, if he didn't know, no one did.

"All we know is who took him. It was a London Anti-Werewolf group, based somewhere in Muggle London; they call themselves 'the Silver Hand.' I've been sure to keep him out of suspicion, and no one from Hogwarts knows as of yet. They've also got about five other Lycanthropes locked up in the same complex, and are threatening to identify them publicly." The elderly wizard sighed. "Veronica Lupin asked me over for tea this morning; that was when she showed me the letter she'd been sent. It was sent by Muggle Post, not Owl Post. Somehow, the WereCreature registration list was copied out of the Department for Regulation of Magical Creatures. We think that there might be an infiltrator in the Ministry. Also, he is defenseless, as his wand is here, with me. I think he must have dropped it when they took him."

Bridget's eyes dropped as she processed all of the information Dumbledore was telling them, comparing and contrasting it with what she knew from the HP books, and the books she'd bought or borrowed from the Potters. _Muggle Post? They don't know how to _use _Muggle Post. And there's an infiltrator in the Ministry... what a _big _surprise. How could Dumbledore..._

Kagumi nodded slowly, as if listening to some inner voice, then stood with an alarming pop of her knees. Her face was pale, and her hands seemed to shake. Taking her shaken reaction entirely the wrong way, Dumbledore looked kindly at her, and quietly said, "I know that Mr. Lupin's condition must frighten you, but I assure you: despite whatever you may think, he is as human as you or I." Kagumi looked dead at him, her narrow green eyes boring into his own.

"Let me tell you something, Professor. First of all, I have not changed my view of Lupin. He is very much human, with all the brilliance and errors that entitles; I'm sure that in the Cosmic Book of Rules, imperfection is a prerequisite for being human.

"At times, he can be a complete prat. But I think he's a good person. Remus Lupin happens to be a boy suffering from horrendous disease. Life changing, and incurable, yes, but it's certainly not monstrous, sir. Just because this disease forces his body to change shape does not mean that his humanity changes with it!" she paused for a minute, before sighing. "All right, yes it, does, but only for the time that he becomes the wolf. Other than that, he _is _as human as you or I, and I'll not have you assuming things about me! It's impolite, if nothing else, especially when you mistake my reaction. I'm not frightened _of _him, sir, I'm frightened _for _him."

Her vehemence startled Sirius and James; both leaned back instinctively. Bridget sighed, putting her head in her hands. She knew that insulting someone she cared about was a sure path to provoking Gumi's temper. This was not going to end well... Especially not when Kagumi was telling off _Albus Dumbledore_ as if he were one of her little brothers; it was the same tone of voice she'd used the night she argued with her father and the same voice that Bridget had heard her use on the boys, occasionally.

"Just because he is forced, against his will, to assume a wolf's shape does _not_ make him a monster. I've seen worse monsters walking the streets at night, and they look completely human. The only real monsters in this sad, sorry Lycanthropy business are the narrow-minded bigots who think they know what makes a human being! Strangely, I thought you were different, Professor. You didn't strike me as a bigot, nor as being unfortunately narrowminded." Kagumi held up a second finger, to match the first.

"Second of all, _Professor_," the students cringed as one. Even Dumbledore seemed taken aback by her flashing eyes, "I'm deeply offended that you'd assume I'd treat him as beneath me. As less than human. The lycanthrope population is horribly misunderstood, sir, and the attitude given to these victims make me want to do something. I want to help them, want to ease their suffering _and I don't mean through a mercy killing!_ I'd like to know who wrote that stupid law about the Registration, because..." Her anger faltered for a moment, but soon her spark returned. "And truthfully, I'm surprised that my brother didn't bother to mention our views when he so conveniently dropped me in Bumhump, England!" A third finger joined the other two, and Dumbledore's shoulders, which had been rather slumped, began to rise; Jet looked closely, and noticed that the flicker of hope had grown into a full-fledged burning fire. _He better know what the heck he's getting into; pissing Gumi off like that._

"Nothing at all has changed, sir, except for now, instead of waiting for an ill boy to show up for a party, we're wasting valuable time when we should be gathering information. So if you'll pardon me, I'm going to go pay a visit to Mrs. Lupin, in the hopes that she can help. And then, I will find one Remus Lupin, without or _without _anyone's help, and Merlin help whoever gets in my way. Good _night_, Albus." Kagumi nodded her head at the silent man and stomped away, up the curving staircase to her and Jet's shared room.

Dumbledore chuckled and said wryly, "One day, she might make a very frightening Auror. I suppose I deserved her ire in this case, although, I do keep forgetting that the two of you are different, Miss Griffins." ("It's not _that_ hard. I'm the nonviolent one.") "While Miss Pheonix may well be able to bully her way into the holding area, she most certainly could use the help to get all of the victims out. I suggest all of you prepare yourselves and pick up Mr. Pettigrew."

"Sir—" James began uncomfortably. He scratched lightly at the side of his head, and the questions were plain in his eyes. Albus surveyed the remaining students with just a hint of his old twinkle; he sighed, and laced his hands in front of him.

"Ah, I did forget to mention…I believe that a Death Eater is behind the infiltration of the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures. And that if you manage to rescue the victims, it would help…a certain resistance group opposing Voldemort. Many of the hostages are either working for it or considering the opportunity." Dumbledore made shooing motions with his hands to the boys. "Miss Griffins, may I see you for a moment? There's something I should explain."

#

Jet stopped at the doorway to their room, watching her friend turn from mediocre witch to determined rescuer, and realizing that she didn't know nearly enough about this girl. Kagumi was bent over her knee, lacing up black sneakers. Pitch black jeans and a black sweater, combined with the fierce determination on her face, made Kagumi seem exceedingly dangerous. Slowly, the girl began plaiting her long hair to keep it out of the way, and as Bridget caught sight of her face, she knew that Remus couldn't have a better protector.

"Long sleeves?" Jet asked conversationally.

"My skin is too pale," Kagumi replied matter-of-factly. "It shows up too well in the dark."

"Yes, I know that. I was going to say that it was smart of you," she said, leaning against the doorframe to watch Kagumi finish her preparations.

The short girl's wand was visible in her right sleeve; something else occupied her left. Jet prepared in silence from that point, until curiosity overtook her again.

"Gumi, what did Dumbles mean about two ways to fight?" Kagumi looked up from checking the unidentified object in her left sleeve.

"What?"

"Well, I mean Dumbledore talked to me after the boys left. He said that he was sure you'd forgive him later, but that he had to make you angry enough to 'go cold.' He riled your temper on purpose."

"Oh, I figured that out the minute I got up to the room. But yes, there are generally two ways to fight. You can fight hot, where emotions rule everything you do. It's not necessarily a bad thing; it just means that emotion is what drives you. Sometimes it gives strength and sometimes it's a weakness. That's the way you fight, I think. You take everything personally, and it fuels your desire for vengeance. Right now, I can't afford the luxury of emotion. Until he's safe, every kind thought, every tender emotion is just another tool they can use against me; everything I think about him is just another hostage and so I don't think of anything except coldhearted strategy."Kagumi smiled ruefully. "And it really doesn't help that he pushed my buttons when I'm PMSing."

Bridget sank onto her bed, frowning. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense."

She didn't think it was either wise or relevant for her to explain that fighting with emotions driving her didn't mean that she didn't fight strategically; she was actually the best strategist in her school, only beatable by her chess genius brother (he'd been beating her at chess since he was five-- and she'd been eight). And she had long ago learned how to put her emotions away unless she _knew _they were going to give her more strength; in fact, that was one of the first things she had learned in Karate class... well, after pay attention. Pay attention had been a painful lesson.

She figured she should keep her mouth shut, and let Gumi do whatever worked for her on her own. It wasn't her place to burst the girl's bubble when it didn't really concern her. And another fight between the two girls would just put more strain on the friendship, which not conducive to a successful rescue.

#

Bridget had a habit of swinging her legs when she was nervous, Kagumi noticed as she sipped the tea, and she fiddled with whatever was closest to her long fingers. James tended to depend on Sirius for amusement, or reassurance when less than comfortable. And Peter…Peter chattered. Kagumi hid a smile behind her tea as she felt herself warming, if unwillingly, to the future traitor.

Veronica Lupin sat on the opposite end of the table, red-eyed from bouts of crying, although she wasn't anywhere near tears now. Remus's father (who looked very much like him, but with blue eyes) stood behind her, with one hand on her shoulder and the other wrapped tightly around the neck of a battered old violin, which was carved with the initials RJL; distantly, Kagumi wondered if Remus had a penchant for music.

"Mrs. Lupin, do you know of any way your son's name could be associated with this group? Can we see the letter they sent to you?" Peter asked kindly, taking a sip of milk. (He had declined her offer of tea after she broke the second cup from her shaking hands, and nearly splashed their one, aging house-elf with boiling water. It didn't seem like a safe idea to him.)

Veronica slid a Muggle style envelope over the table. Peter skimmed the letter with his eyes, and then slid it over to the boys. Finally, Kagumi held the letter in her hands, and she and Jet read it together.

_Mr. and Mrs. Lupin,_

_We are not sure what has compelled you to raise and protect what was once your son. Whether it be fear, sympathy, or regret for what was lost, the reason is no longer important. We have taken the choice from you. The beast you call Remus has been captured along with several other hidden Lycans, both for your safety and the safety of the world._

_No ransom will be taken, nor is there any way to blackmail or intimidate us into freeing it or any of the other creatures. We only do what is right. Their true forms shall be revealed to all respectable wizards as easily as they receive the paper. We expect a Hunt to follow shortly thereafter._

_If you harbor any residual feelings for this monster, we can only say this to comfort you: it is not your son, nor has it been your son for years. What you know to be Remus J. Lupin is only a monster in a clever disguise._

An embossed hand was the only signature at the bottom of the parchment, done in silver foil. Kagumi rolled her eyes at Jet, who was already finished and jotting something down in her reporter's notebook, and slid the letter back to Mrs. Lupin. She smiled coldly. "Don't worry, Mrs. Lupin. By the time they receive that paper mentioned, every single victim will be home safe and sound." The girl popped her knuckles and stood, only to be tugged back down by Sirius, who seemed remarkably calm for a boy who was notoriously hot-headed.

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Gumi," he said, sprawling gracefully, still holding her cold hand.

"Yes, Kagumi, do sit down, you're worrying me," Bridget agreed, harshly crossing something out and adding more notes. She waved her quill absently. "You know, getting all poetic… and monologue-y. Before we do anything we need to figure a few things out. Where they are for one thing and at least an idea as to how many people we're talking about. Then there's the tone of the letter: it's almost sympathetic, and extremely self-righteous. They believe that they're _helping _us, which is not only ridiculous, but tells us that they will do what they threaten to."

Kagumi sighed, rolling her eyes, though her fear was still evident. "There's nothing more frightening than a fanatic. Those who truly believe the Thestral crap they spout, and live religiously by it. These guys sound like fanatics to me" ("Because they are, Gumi.") "and to me, it's cowardly. They can't be farther than London." She snapped her piercing gaze on James. "What's the first rule of hiding, James?"

"Hide in plain sight, in what's familiar...On your own ground." he responded instantly. His eyebrows furrowed as he frowned, "But that would mean..."

"Five to two odds that they're in Diagon Alley, or near there. Probably within a mile radius." She felt herself getting angry again, letting that anger drown out the escalating fear every minute that she didn't have Remus safely in sight. _Anger is good, Gumi. Anger keeps you sane, and safe when the fear is holding you by the throat. But rage steals all skill, and detracts from your abilities..._ These calming thoughts kept intruding on her psyche, sounding suspiciously like Remus's voice, and she stopped fighting. The voice, whoever it belonged to, had good advice.

"That's even more true if they're wizard-born, but we'll get to that later." Jet sighed and tried to reassure the Lupins while examining the letter in her head and compiling her List. "We will rescue them, though. Don't worry."

Mrs. Lupin gave the boys a watery smile, as though it were all their idea, but she seemed to staunchly ignore the two girls, almost unable to acknowledge them; Sirius filed it all away for later examination.

#

Sirius sighed in frustration as he watched James tap the wrong brick for the third time. "James, stop it; you should _know _this!" He grabbed his best friend's wrist and pointed it at the correct brick, the two girls watching the gate open to Diagon Alley in silence. This should've been a highlight for them, getting to see a fabled, if fictional, sight; but the cold way Veronica Lupin had treated them and the silent but pressing concern for Remus ruined the wonder of Wizarding Nightlife.

Jet frowned to herself, still a little concerned about Mrs. Lupin's absurd treatment of them, but putting that to the side for the time. She was twirling her wand in one hand absent-mindedly, which Peter was watching with a wary eye. She was thinking... an act that was more difficult for her to not do. There was something wrong about that letter, something that just didn't quite fit with Dumbledore's Death Eater theory, unless Voldemort had widened his recruiting circle. It just didn't make sense, but she had all the information she needed and Bridget did so love her puzzles.

Kagumi's mind was filled with plans, and tactics, and she was unconsciously reciting the spells she had glanced at before getting dressed. She'd examine Mrs. Lupin's treatment of her later, when she had enough energy left to dissect the situation. Like Bridget, she liked puzzles, but more physical ones, something that she could get her hands around and explore until she uncovered all of its secrets. Mental puzzles held little for her unless they were challenging enough to hold her attention. And Mrs. Lupin had been low on her Must-Impress-List from day one.

_Stupefy, Reducto, Incarcerous, Impedimenta. . . Those will definitely come in handy. If there's a fight, that is. _She stopped cold for a moment. _Can I really fight with a wand? Alone, or with help, I'm still new to this..._ She paused, remembering how Raminus's voice had invaded her thoughts those first few nights. _Raminus, Cordan, I don't exactly know what the two of you may be, but if either of you can help at this point, we could really use it . . ._

#

Raminus sat up in his bed, his sleep disturbed. (He didn't actually need to sleep; it was simply another way to hold on to his lost humanity. Cordan enjoyed sleep as well, and they both liked to eat, even though they had no need of it either. The other Founders considered these tendencies of… well, living to prove that the two youngest were even odder than either genetics or legacies could've made them. Godric even went as far as to jokingly call them hedonists) He threw off the green blanket, looked around and sighed.

Moving down the hallway of the Dream World castle, Raminus stopped at Cordan's door. He resigned himself to humiliation and lifted the knocker. The lion's head roared, and the door opened, even after all this time it was still annoying. Cordan was sitting in a corner chair, wrapped in a scarlet blanket. Raminus smiled, and shook his friend's shoulder.

"Wha--?" Cordan discreetly wiped his mouth with the corner of the blanket, and stared sleepily at the tall man. "Wha is 't?"

"I…I can't sleep. Something woke me up." Raminus grit his teeth; out loud, the complaint sounded childish, but he pressed on. "I think the girls might be in trouble."

"Well," Cordan yawned widely. "Let's see what they're up to."

He waved a golden hand at the Mirror, and both stared: The two girls were creeping through a dark Diagon Alley with three of the four Marauders, each tense as though expecting to be attacked. Sirius and James both had their wands out, Peter was just nervous looking.

"What the hell is going on here?" Raminus asked.

"I'm not sure, really." Cordan rewound the mirror images until they arrived at the beginning.

As the two Watchers observed, they saw Remus being hauled away as he Apparated on his front doorstep, and the subsequent events. Cordan's mouth fell open exactly two and a half inches. Raminus kneaded his eyebrows, trying to get rid of the pain that was growing; it was firmly labeled 'Responsibility'.

"How is it that whenever we try to rest, we miss out on _all _of the excitement?" Cordan asked.

"You call our charges running around London, looking for some stupid anti-werewolf group, and risking everything we've worked for '_excitement'_?" Raminus thundered incredulously.

"Well, when you say it like that..." Cordan grinned briefly, before turning back to the situation at hand, his "serious face" on. "Regardless of how we feel about it, we should really try to help them. I mean… we know where he is, but how can we do it without the boys noticing?"

Raminus shrugged. "Maybe we can affect their vision, point the two of them in the right direction."

Cordan's eyes lit up. He grabbed Raminus's arm, none too gently, and hauled him to the broom cupboard where they worked their mischief, flying past a very surprised Godric Gryffindor, and his now hot-chocolate-soaked nightrobes.

#

Kagumi blinked quickly, once, twice, three times. She was sure that either her insanity was finally catching up to her, or the sheer amount of stress she was under was playing havoc with her vision. For some reason, one of the side streets leading from Diagon Alley was glowing very faintly. She looked at Jet, saw her blink as well. Tugging on her friend's arm, Kagumi brought her to a stop.

"Do you see that?" she asked urgently, if quietly.

"Yeah, I think. That is if you think you're seeing what I think I'm seeing," Bridget answered, frowning as she gave the area an uncertain look. She sighed heavily. "Otherwise, no, I'm not."

"Well, what is it you think that I think that you think you're seeing?"

"That― wait, dude, _what_?" Jet looked confused and Kagumi rolled her eyes. The short girl pointed at the narrow path.

"I think we may have a bit of help from our 'family.' What about that path? Does it look somewhat brighter to you? Like maybe there's just a little more moonlight on that street instead of the next one?"

Jet nodded slowly; it did look as if the one street was a little brighter. Kagumi motioned to Sirius and asked the same question. He looked at her for a minute, and then shook his head. She sighed, and said, "Woman's intuition says it's this way."

James gave them a horridly confused look, but Bridget nodded in agreement with Kagumi, and he shrugged at his best friend. Together, the two boys went in the direction Gumi was pointing out, wands still out in case of hostilities, followed by the girls, and Peter held up the rear of the party.

#

Presently, the five stood before a row of warehouses, across the street from the entrance to Diagon Alley. The glowing trail seemed to lead right under one of the doors, where it slowly faded. Kagumi gripped her wand tightly and tried the door, which was locked.

"_Alohomora!"_ she whispered, tapping the door. She felt, rather than heard the tumblers clicking. Slowly, she and Sirius shouldered it open, to find a gigantic pile of…junk. There was an old motorcycle, two splintering bookshelves and over four hundred boxes. Sighing, she looked skyward.

_What, you couldn't have let the trail linger for just a few more minutes? Just enough to figure out WHERE - - you know what? I'm just gonna look around._

"Why would someone lock this up?" Sirius asked, disgust apparent in his voice. "It's worthless. Well, except for the bike, but that's its only redeeming feature."

"It doesn't make sense, but," Peter let his eyes rest on James, frowning uncertainly, "but I think the girls are onto something."

Sirius snorted. "There's no way Remus can be here." He gestured to absurdly packed room. "We'd be able to see him, I think."

"It's the only lead we have, Padfoot," James pointed out, poking at the motorcycle with his wand. "There's no harm in checking it out."

"Surprisingly, considering the uselessness of your arguing, you're all right," Bridget said as she searched through the nearest box. "There's no reason for it to be locked up, so we must be onto something. We just… um… we're not sure what exactly."

Kagumi looked at Jet and rolled her eyes. "If memory serves me correctly, wizards aren't very original when it comes to mundane things such as kidnapping. So let's just look around, and see what we can find."

Jet held up her finger. "Actually, in this case it would be wolfnapping," she said brightly, moving to search a tower of boxes, leaving her friend sputtering uselessly before she began checking a box herself.

#

For over two hours, the motley group searched the warehouse. Finally, Peter looked at James. "You know, Prongs, Sirius is right: this warehouse is rather small, and I doubt they can fit Moony into this small of a space." At this, Peter held up a small box, sending spiders scurrying into the four corners. James sighed and nodded.

"I know, Wormy. I know."

"Maybe we should round it up, Prongs," Sirius said softly, flopping on the old musty couch in the corner.

Jet whirled on him, glaring harshly.

"You'd leave your friend to have his life ruined?" she demanded. "Leave him in the care of Death Eaters and their self-serving, cowardly, bottom-of-the-barrel flunkies just because you've come to what seems to be a dead end? Ridiculous! I thought more of your loyalty, Sirius, a lot more. I never expected something so simple as _this _could make you abandon a friend in danger."

Sirius took a surprised step back, shocked by her vehemence, before he realized what she had accused him of. "No, of course not. I would never abandon my friends."

"That's what it sounds like, Sirius." She crossed her arms, outraged.

"Well, that's not what I meant."

As the pair broke into a furious, albeit quiet, argument, Kagumi lightly examined the bookshelf to the right. She stepped over a medium box, promptly tripped and fell against the second shelf. Or rather, fell against empty air where the second shelf should've been. Her cry of surprise shut the group up quickly.

"Gumi?" Sirius asked.

He'd become rather fond of her since the Brownie Incident, and she was almost positive it wasn't only because she could bake; Bridget was more apt to monopolize the oven to make sweets, anyways. They headed over her way. Gumi cursed (utilizing a few new ones that Sirius reminded himself to learn from her), and the group could practically hear the scowl in her voice. Suddenly, the cursing and struggling scuffles stopped, and a somewhat scornful cry of amazement cut the silent air.

"My God, they must think our intelligence is lower than our shoe size. It's almost insulting!" Gumi cursed again as she tried, and failed, to pull herself out of the tangle of boxes; her legs were too short to reach the ground from the crushed box she was stuck in. "Some help, please?"

"What? Did you find something?" Jet asked.

"You could say that. Rather I found something that was where something wasn't." Gumi grunted as she accepted Sirius's hand up. Jet rolled her eyes.

"Dude, you may be my friend, but you _seriously _have to _stop_ talking in riddles."

"Or what, you'll throttle me?" ("Please, I don't have the time.") "Alright, to be plain, that bookcase is an illusion of some sort. Underneath is a trapdoor, and inscribed on it happens to be silver foil in the shape of a palm-out hand. So I'm guessing that there's a staircase or something under there, and chances are that it'll lead us right to Silver Hand. These people, for all their proclaimed desire not to be found, have a rather odd way of labeling their work." She looked at Jet. "I told you about the originality problem."

"So, you found an empty space where there was supposed to be something?" Jet said, either ignoring the comment or just not hearing it. "That really isn't that difficult to say. I mean, really - -"

"Bridget," James said, looking the girl in the eyes. "We need you to focus now. Argue with Gumi later."

The girl sobered up instantly. She had a small frown on her face as she nodded in response, looking like a chastised toddler. "Okay."

"Hey, hey, look at this." Peter pulled a large black book off of the real shelf and turned it around so that the group could read the lettering. "It's called The Hand. In silver. Do you think that's a coincidence?"

He grinned widely, seemingly pleased with himself. Unexpectedly, with a sound like a weary sigh, the illusory bookshelf vanished, leaving only the etched trapdoor swinging open with an ominous creak. Sirius leaned into the hole, uncharacteristically somber.

"You smell that?" James asked Peter, softly.

"Yeah. Sweat. And fear."

"Lots of fear," James whispered, eyes on Sirius, who was exploring as far as he could with his lit wand.

"All right, who's first into the dark, creepy stairwell?"

#

As it turned out, Peter was first down the stairwell, being the one with the best nighttime vision. Kagumi followed, with Sirius behind her and Jet and James holding up the rear (apparently Jet's ability to walk backwards was better than her skills in doing the opposite). With a squeak, he stopped and Kagumi collided with him. She held her hand up for silence, and with ears straining, the impromptu rescue brigade could hear soft snoring.

Peeking around the corner, they could make out two sleeping men in robes and jeans. _Muggleborn? _Bridget thought to herself with a frown. _Half-bloods, at least. Purebloods that old just don't wear Muggles clothes, at least not during these times._ A third paced sleepily and a woman apparently argued with someone while kneeling in a fire pit; the flames were an emerald green.

"I can't hold them that long. _NO!_ I'm not going to hold them till full moon! I don't care what your orders are; I'm not risking my neck like that." She waited for an unheard reply. "I really don't care, _sir_, let the mobs deal with the lycanthrope population. No, I'm not going to grab a pitchfork. Yes, I realize that that was sarcasm, you tit, but still - - Whatever." Another reply. "Fine. You can come collect some photos for that morning paper you threatened," she paused again, her entire body screaming impudence. "Yeah, yeah, see you in a bit."

With an angry grumble, she swung around and wiped the ashes from her hair. She had a harsh look about her, with unkempt hair and narrow, icy eyes. From the way she was handling everything, she also seemed to be the one in charge.

Kagumi, pushing Peter behind her, committed each person's face to memory. She silently drew her wand, but stopped when James shook his head. He had his own wand out in a moment, and pointed at the woman, mouthing a spell. Ghostly streamers wrapped around her head, and it seemed to droop. She yawned widely and, stumbling over to the one empty chair, quickly began to doze.

"That's handy. What is that?" Jet asked curiously as Kagumi raged silently at being foiled.

"Modified Sleeper. More humane than a Stunner; Remus helped us come up with it." James sighed. "Come on; let's get him and the others out of here."

"Wait a tic and think. James, did you forget someone?" Peter mumbled.

"Hm. Pete's right, Prongs, and from that woman's conversation, there's someone else coming soon. We _have _to be gone by the time they get here; with two half-trained witches and several incapacitated werecreatures, with the full moon being so close, we'll be in no shape to fight anyone." Sirius muttered, pointing his wand; the man slowly sank to the ground, snoring loudly.

"Sirius Black," Kagumi said, amazed. "I do believe you're growing up."

He smiled halfway, and shrugged one shoulder as they edged out of the narrow hall. "Yeah, but don't tell anyone. My reputation would be irreparably ruined."

With each of them in a position of relative comfort (Peter and Kagumi were both of the opinion that the captors didn't deserve such kindness, but were quickly overruled by the others), James then bound the entire group. Kagumi checked to make sure there were no other surprises waiting for the rescuers, and then she checked each guard. One carried a scroll with scribbling on it, in some language she didn't recognize. The other three had nothing but a few Knuts, and one carried a single Galleon; she pocketed everything, but didn't find any sort of key.

Having already checked for anything important, they moved on. There was a narrow hallway at the north end of the tiny complex, with three doors on either side of it. Each of the doors had a name on it. Gumi looked back at the group, still exploring the back of the tiny station.

"There're six cell doors, and only five of us. I didn't find any keys, so…we're stuck either blowing the locks or magicking them open."

And with that, she stepped towards the first door on the left. Peter took the first one on the right, whispering the opening spell. Frowning, he tried several other spells before he looked up at the others, "It doesn't work. Neither do our other spells."

Gumi drew her wand. "I guess we'll have to blow them."

"No!" Bridget stepped in between her and the door. "We can't know what sort of booby traps they put on this, or how small the cells are, and we can safely lean towards 'tiny' as a description. Magic could _kill them._"

"Jet," said Sirius impatiently, his own wand half-raised, "I don't think we have any other choice."

With an annoyed sigh, Bridget turned her sharp eyes to Sirius. "Are you boys really that narrow-minded? I expected more from Hogwarts' greatest pranksters. I _really _expected more from you, Gumi."

"Get on with it, Jet," Gumi replied. "We don't have the time."

"Simple answer," said Jet. She turned around and examined the closest door, running her fingers lightly along the lock, hinges, and the area around both. "We use Muggle means. It'd be easier to kick them down, but we risk injuring the, um, prisoner. That means one thing." In a lower voice than the boys couldn't hear, she muttered, "Think second book, when the Weasley Twins retrieved Harry's trunk and broom."

Bridget reached into her ponytail and pulled out two long bobby pins. She pinned one to her sleeve and used the other to begin picking the lock. Less than a minute later the lock clicked open and she motioned Peter forward to open it so she could move on.

"Hey," Gumi said, "can I have one of those?"

Bridget gave her a distant look, mind somewhere else, but still handed over the other bobby pin to her friend, moving on to the next door with a small, forced smile. Peter gave her a worried glance, but she was already on the next door. He pulled the door open and found himself looking into the crying face of a six-year old. He knelt down in front of her, asking if she was Amaiah Engle. She nodded shyly, fear visible in her blue eyes.

"Hi, sweetie, we're here to save you." That was as far as he got, for the child sobbed loudly and launched herself into his arms with a death grip.

"I wanna go home!" she cried before bursting into hysterical tears.

Kagumi opened her own door, and found a silver-haired middle-aged man. "Who do you think you are, holding us here? We've done nothing wrong!" His accent was very posh, and screamed wealth.

"Can I have your name, sir? We're here to rescue you and the others." _There Da, I was sure to mind my manners, much as I wanted to take that snooty expression and make him do something anatomically impossible with it._

"I am Richard Lionel the Third, and I must get home. My lady must be worried sick."

"Well, Mr. Lionel, you should go wait in the common area. But for now, we need to free the others before we can get you all back home. Oh, and don't worry about making too much noise; we've bound your captors."

Without another word, the irritated short girl made her way to the next door, trusting that the man would be able to find his own way to the others. Soon, all of the cells were emptied, except for one. Peter sat on a small couch, at the back of the main room, still comforting the crying girl; he seemed to have a knack with children. Jet was trying to keep the other victims (ranging from catatonic to sobbing) calm while Sirius and James sat on the floor, rubbing their eyes until Bridget was fussing over them, too. Kagumi had told them that she'd be right back, as soon as she got Remus out. Too weary to argue, they'd set about doing their different tasks, after Flooing Vivian and Warwick to let them know to alert the authorities.

Kagumi slowly opened the last door, looked at the half-conscious boy, and heard nothing but a strange buzzing noise filling her ears. Some part of her recognized the warning signs of a temper flare-up, and struggled to stamp it down. Concentrating on the cold logic that had filled her head since hearing about the abduction, she looked at him, assessing the danger of his immediate situation.

Remus sat in the corner, keeping as little of his body in contact with the wall as was possible without falling over. His half-conscious, sluggish state unnerved her, and her blood ran cold. True, she had helped free the others, but had pretended not to notice the silver shackles, tried to ignore the burns on the victims' wrists. But now, seeing it on a person she cared about, had cared about for as long as she could remember infuriated her.

Setting her rage aside, she knelt before the boy, gently laying her hands on his cheek.

"Rem? Remus?" She patted his cheek, alarmed at the pallor and heat of his skin; his head lolled on his neck. "Remus!" She bit her lip and shook him as hard as she dared. He didn't move. Trying to be gentle, she eased the silver manacles off his thin wrists utilizing the hair pin Jet had lent her and stifled a whimper as she saw just how severe his allergy was. Thick, oozing burns covered all sides of both wrists (worse than the others she'd seen that night; she made a mental note to ask either him or Veronica Lupin when they returned), and she noticed a thin line of smoke rising from where his neck touched the wall. "What the…"

Drawing closer to the smoking area, she realized that his heartbeat was painfully slow, and her own heart skipped a beat. "Don't die on me, please. Remus..." She ran her sensitive fingertips over the wall, and noticed the thick coating of silver flakes on her skin. "Damn them all to the deepest levels of Hell!" Her temper, seizing the opportunity, pushed and her self-control crumbled.

With her rage fueling her against her better judgment, she hauled the sleeping boy out into the hallway and told James to set up a Floo system back to the manor. As soon as James's back was turned, and Remus was safely laid on the floor with Bridget washing the majority of the silver flakes off with her wand, Kagumi turned on one of the captors and a dagger appeared in her left hand. Sirius managed to grab her from behind and wrestled the knife to the ground. A few minutes later, with much grunting and struggling, Sirius pinned her arms to her sides and hauled her away from the woman. She was growling deep in her throat, and Peter clutched the little girl; he'd never heard that sound from a human. The closest sound he'd ever heard was Moony on full moon nights, and the fact that an enraged girl could make a sound so similar sent chills down his spine.

Slowly, as his familiar scent began to work its way through her system, Kagumi's eyes lost their wildness, and her breathing, though still labored, slowed. Jet shook her head, stepping between her friend and the monsters that had done this. As much as she hated them, she'd always been of the camp that horrid people didn't _deserve_ to die. They deserved to live long, terrible, painful lives before spending most of eternity in Hell. Besides, she wasn't about to break Gumi out of Azkaban; they had enough problems as it was.

"At least now we know a few things," she murmured wryly, twirling her wand between her fingers. "A: she's violent. B: she carries knives in her sleeves. And C: we can't trust her not to kill anyone when angry." Bridget stepped closer, the better to look into the girl's eyes, which still held a trace of that cold, if wild, rage; Kagumi made a sound of protest as she started to try and wrestle free, prompting Sirius to pull her arms tighter. James finished his firecall and joined in restraining her, each boy with one arm, and she was still growling softly. "Gumi, we can't kill them." Bridget's eyes flashed when she saw the other girl start to protest. "I'm serious, Kagumi, I won't let you kill them, no matter what they did. You will not sink down to their level. And there's no way I'm breaking you out of Azkaban."

Kagumi shook free of Sirius, and with a grudging sigh, slipped the knife back into her arm holster; Sirius was still tensed as if to tackle her, but she seemed to be herself again.

"I resent that. My fits of violence are less dangerous than yours." She was still shaking, but as her acidic sense of humor returned, she realized what she'd almost done. It scared her, but catching a glimpse of Remus' too-pale face scared her far more, and she was able to subdue her anger enough to concentrate.

"But much more common than mine. You should probably stay with Remus. No killing."

"What about maiming?" Kagumi asked, only half-joking.

Four voices answered her: "NO!"

"Damn," she said, mock sadly, kneeling by Remus's side, checking his pulse.

#

As soon as she made sure that the authorities had been notified, Vivian stuck her head out the back door. Kagumi and Jet had turned up, looking a bit peaky but otherwise unharmed, with six semi-conscious people. Jet had then passed out on the couch, curled up against an overlarge pillow that was, in turn, leaning on an equally exhausted James, and Kagumi had, after making absolutely sure that Remus was comfortably ensconced in pillows and blankets, retreated outside without informing anyone. Veronica Lupin was hovering over Remus, tearfully checking his health, and attempting to heal the burns on the other victims.

Instead of searching for the distraught girl herself, Vivian decided to send Sirius to find her (with the little girl still clinging to Peter, he was the only one not asleep or otherwise preoccupied, not to mention that he seemed to have a sense of what could keep her calm.). That was why Sirius was out in one of the fields, following a distant noise, and shivering the early morning mist. Finally he spied Kagumi, fighting with a loose Bludger.

"What are you doing? It's nearly dawn," he yawned. "We've been home for two hours, at least."

"I needed the air," she said sourly. "Did you know that Beating makes a great―" she hit the Bludger as far away from her as she could, (which was a surprising distance, for being as fragile-looking as she was) "stress reliever?"

"I suppose," he said slowly. It made sense, to someone who'd always found wide open spaces to be calming.

"Yeah. It makes a strangely satisfying thwacking noise, and that noise takes the edge off of my desire to kill those stupid, deranged, self-righteous _hu'tunne _for what they've done." She hit the ball again, sending it sailing into one of the tree hard enough to make a dent. Sirius flinched, somewhat afraid for anyone facing her in a real Quidditch match.

"'_Hu'tuune_'?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"It means coward." She proceeded to hit the obviously suicidal ball many more times. "I can't see straight, Sirius. What they did to him….It freezes my heart." Her eyes were distant when she turned to look at him for a moment, and he knew that she was reliving the rescue.

Finally, after a few more vicious hits, she Immobilized the Bludger long enough to stuff it back in its harness. When it was stored back inside the hollow tree (which James had discovered at age seven), Kagumi wrapped her arms around Sirius's neck and let him walk her back to the manor since she was shaking so hard, she could barely walk.

#

Since bringing her into his room nearly an hour ago, Kagumi had not spoken. She had just sat there, leaning against the wall of his back, staring holes into his posters. Sirius sighed. She kept shivering from the fading nausea, from seeing Remus shackled with silver deliberately, from seeing the horrifying burns on his wrists. He'd slipped into a deep sleep once they brought him home, and Kagumi hadn't relaxed yet; he knew that she needed sleep, but she was too pent up and would likely not get any rest that way. She still felt like killing someone; instead, she sat leaning against her friend, fiddling with the hem of her shirt until it frayed.

"Still feeling bad?" Sirius asked quietly. She just nodded. "You know, Silver Hand isn't the only Anti-Werewolf group in England. Several have popped up in the last few years."

She said nothing.

"Kagumi, please say something."

Making a feeble attempt to lighten her mood, she looked at him and said, "Woof."

Sirius snorted softly. Finally the forlorn girl sighed. Without a word, he extended his hand, half expecting her to rage, or whine, or at least sniffle. But to her credit, she took it gratefully and held on for dear life, but didn't collapse into hysterics. In a way, it would've been easier for him to deal with if she had; at the current state, he wasn't sure how to make things better, or if he even dared try. Seeing her attempting to murder someone, no matter what he personally thought about it, had scared him, but as she calmed down she was becoming more like the Kagumi he knew.

"It's hard," she croaked. "I know that he doesn't like me, and that I haven't really done much of anything to try to earn his trust. But for some reason, I still care about him, still care what he thinks.

"He isn't some faceless statistic to me, not just another minority facing extreme prejudice. What those damned cowards did makes me want to…" she twisted her free hand in an expression of extreme violence. "I want to use them as target practice for lead-filled Bludgers. I want to fillet them and serve them to werewolves on a golden platter. I want to do _something_ to make them pay for this! I mean, the legal system will give them a slap on the wrist, as if just because the victims were werecreatures, that makes it all all right. 'Oh, they aren't _real_ people, so it's fine.' I've seen the same thing in nearly every case, where it becomes 'them' versus 'us.'" She sighed, gripping his hand tighter. "Why can't we all be one bloody population? Why can't we all just...just accept each other, instead of judging? I mean, let the sinless and blameless be the first to throw the harpoon! I can guarantee that you can't find one wizard or witch like that, anywhere.

"It's all bolloxed up." She took a deep breath, and Sirius could hear the tears in her voice; he glanced at their laced hands and saw that her knuckles were white and bloodless. Letting go of his hand, she rose from the bed and began pacing, much like a caged lion. Worried, he followed her until she turned around and he held her shoulders steady.

"Gumi," Sirius asked cautiously. With her peaky skin and flashing, angry eyes, he couldn't decide if she looked more enraged or heartbroken. He decided, as he caught the angry tears that wouldn't fall, on heartbroken.

"I'm fine, Siri. I just…the adrenalin and anger just need to burn out of my system. I'm Irish. Long memories, short fuses."

"Wait, I thought you were from Wisconsin. Isn't that what Bridget said?" He was giving her a shrewd look, frowning. "If you're Irish you should have gone to Hogwarts in the first place, instead of...wherever you're from."

"Well," she said after a moment. Sirius thought that she was going to explain it all, but, instead she said, "It's a long story."

He gave her a pointed look, gesturing widely. "It's not like I'm going anywhere. You _are_ in my room."

"I'm sorry." Gumi pulled out of his grip, backing towards the door. "I didn't mean to be trouble; you have more―"

"Kagumi." Sirius grabbed her again, and pulled her back towards him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders; she was still trembling. He sighed. "I wasn't saying that you should go; just that you should tell me. I don't mind if it's a long story. We could all use a long story to take our minds off of it. Well," he amended, "those of us who are still awake."

"Namely you, then, right?" she teased gently. He laughed a little, and shrugged out of his grip.

She shrugged. "For starters, my father's British and, technically, so am I, I guess. We moved to America about six years ago, with my brothers and my Aunt Aisliin. I live in Wisconsin, like Jet said. My mother is Irish. I spend my holidays there usually. My clan has a small homestead, and keep it up almost like one of the old stories about the 'glory days,' down to the village surrounding the keep."

"That wasn't really that long of a story," he pointed out fairly.

"That part wasn't, no, but that with the rest makes a long story."

"Well, I want to hear the rest of it," he said, trying to pull her onto his lap again; affectionate seemed to be his default setting with the two girls who had suddenly turned his life upside down. With a tired groan she pulled away from him (though watching him fall without her weight to counterbalance his was amusing) and refused to elaborate. Instead, she paced, and paced, and when that got boring, she paced some more. Sirius finally got up, stretching lazily.

It was on her forty-ninth (and three-quarters) passing of his wardrobe that her racing brain finally comprehended the glint of metal underneath one of the legs. Curiosity got the better of her, and she ducked her head underneath the dark wood. Pulling out a foot-long metal cylinder, she couldn't quite believe what she held. She turned around and looked blankly at the yawning boy by the bed. He blinked, and then looked at where she was.

"Don't go poking around under there!" Seeing that she already held it, he changed tactics. "It's uh, not mine, I'm holding it for a friend. Yeah, that's it. I'm holding it for a friend. He must've stuck it under there last time he was here. For, um, safekeeping…"

"Sirius…" She looked dead at his blushing face, and shook her head.

"What? Don't look at me like that!"

She held the metal thing out to him. "A lightsaber?" When he grinned sheepishly, she sat numbly on the carpet. "A… lightsaber…" she repeated, more to herself than to anyone.

He shrugged nonchalantly, apparently satisfied since she knew what it was, at least, that she wouldn't dismiss him as a dork out of hand.

"Well… it was on sale at one of the theaters. I've only seen it a coupla times."

She looked at him, and raised a questioning eyebrow. Hiding a lightsaber under one's wardrobe didn't sound like someone who'd only seen it 'a coupla times.' It sounded much more like a fanatic.

"Well… more like five… or seven… maybe more…" He grinned.

She looked back and forth between the fake lightsaber and Sirius's face. Just imagining Sirius, James, Peter and Remus as jedi was unbearably adorable and oddly amusing. Finally, something jogged loose in her brain and she chuckled. Five minutes later, still on the floor, Kagumi Pheonix howled with laughter, just laughed and laughed until the tears ran from her eyes, until she was holding her sides and rocking back and forth, laughing like a maniac.

The tension flowed out of her limbs, and finally she could relax. She was home. Even though she'd seen someone she cared about suffering, even though she'd lost control and scared herself...They were all home, safe and sound, and things could only go up from here.

#

James ran a hand through his hair, wondering how he'd wound up in this position twice in the same week... too bad it was with the wrong girl. He then realized that there was something he would have to go over with her before they went anywhere near Hogwarts, or he let her near Moony.

"Bridget?" he whispered, shaking her shoulder gently. She shifted, but didn't move. "_Bridget! _We need to talk."

"Shove off. Tired."

James fought the smile working its way onto his face. This really wasn't the time, but she was _so _perfect for Sirius. As much as he tried to deny it, Sirius was still of the canine variety and loved cuddling; a girl who preferred to spend her nights and mornings curled up around a warm body would be a welcome change for the other boy. Well, if he ever got over the fact that he wanted a relationship with Bridget and not a quick shag... and if he ever did do the latter, James would have to hex him. Peter and, even, Remus were fond of this stray, not to mention what _Kagumi_ would do if he took advantage of her. James shuddered to think of it, and tried again to rouse her.

He poked her in the ribs this time. "Jet, get up. This is important."

Tired brown eyes opened and surveyed him critically. "Fine. Hurry up so I can go back to sleep. Rescuing someone's hard work, you know?" She was cranky when she was tired. James tried not to smirk, somehow sensing that it wouldn't help him. He'd probably be hit, then she'd continue to use him as a pillow.

"What do you think about werewolves? We heard what Gumi thinks, and you said some nice things at Lily's, but it's different when you know one personally."

"Not for me." Bridget yawned, and curled back up, closing her eyes. For a moment, James was afraid she'd fallen back asleep and that was all he'd get (he wasn't going to risk life and limb trying to wake her up again), then she spoke again. "Werewolves are unjustly persecuted. In reality, they're just like everyone else except for one night a month, maybe two once in a blue moon, but the perception of werewolves has created this problem. If people treated lycanthropes as people, then both treatment and research could follow. Also, acceptance would make them _feel _human, so they're more like to _act _human. That's probably what Dumbledore was going for when he accepted Remus into Hogwarts. If people could get to know him after the bite and accept him, care about him, then it would be easier to make them accept other werewolves. Of course, that's all in theory, humans are too often illogical. It's a rather bad downfall."

James blinked down at the girl, who looked quite young and delicate half-asleep. She'd said in one paragraph most of what he and Sirius had decided long ago, right before they'd started their own werewolf research. Maybe, if they proved to be trustworthy, they had found allies, and having intelligent, innovative allies with a passion for their work was invaluble. He sighed, and settled back into the couch.

"If only we could humanize them now, without revealing Remus." He'd said it more to himself, having expected Bridget to be fast asleep already, so when she sat up suddenly, eyes wide with realization and clear of any sleep residue, he was understandably shocked.

"That's it!" She turned to him, and James realized he'd just witnessed her 'Eureka!' moment. Gumi was right; it was rather captivating. "We need to make them human. If we can force others to sympathize, see them as _people, _like their siblings, children, spouses, or friends, we can start it. But..." she frowned, chewing on her bottom lip in a way that James was fast learning meant she was thinking, and was probably about to fix whatever problem had arisen, "I'm not sure if... James, do your parents have any connections to the Daily Prophet? I think we can turn their idea against them."

James frowned, "Um, yeah, but I don't understand what you're... oh. Oh! Jet, that's brilliant. But, you'd need them to--"

"Read it with an open mind? That is a bit of a problem. If we tell them right off that we're writing about werewolves, they'll have a--"

"Bias against the piece. At the same time we want--"

"Them to know. But, it needs to be..."

They looked at each other, identical expressions on their faces. "I got it!"

- - -

**Author's Notes:** Alright, so there it is and we're not terribly late. I promised the Remus would be alright, and he will. Eventually. Questions? Concerns? Comments? Anything? There's a little button at the bottom, right here, that says REVIEW. So click it. CLICK IT. CLICK IT, I plead.


	13. Things Like What?

**Disclaimer:** We own nothing except for original characters and our own personal charms.

**Chapter 12:**

Things like What?

Somewhere on the border between consciousness and a deep abyss, Remus wandered the shadows. He kept seeing images that had no connections for him, nothing he could understand. Up in the sky, a silver full moon shone brightly, then turned into a hand. Up ahead, on the path was an old Muggle-style motorcycle and when he passed it, it swung up like a trapdoor. In the back of his mind, a pale hand gestured with a thin, deadly-looking knife, while a pair of tan hands twisted in on themselves. But the most common image was a pair of eyes: green, if so simple a word could describe them, ancient, haunted eyes. In every vision, the eyes would lock on his and fill with tears.

But, the only person with green eyes that he could remotely think of was Lily Evans, and he hadn't seen her since-- he racked his brain--since... someone's birthday party, still, for the life of him, (or not, as he was convinced that he was dead) he couldn't remember who the person was. Besides, the mysterious eyes weren't the same shade as Lily's; they were much more misty than Lily's emerald greens. The fact that he couldn't recall who they belonged to irritated him. The fact that he felt his heart miss a beat every time he saw them irritated him even more. But, most annoying of everything in this strange void, the thought of those crying eyes made him incredibly sad.

If he concentrated, if he believed that he wasn't dead, he could occasionally hear a woman's musical voice talking to him, calling his name; it made his heart beat faster. At other times, he heard the strange woman weeping, and that made no sense (like so much else recently). Women never cried over Remus John Lupin. Crying women were much more Sirius's department; _he_ reduced women to tears all the time. Speaking of Sirius... Remus strained his ears so hard they twitched. Ah, there was Sirius's voice, telling someone that it would be all right. The only reply was a soft sniffle.

At times, Remus could hear a deep, soothing voice telling him what to do, one he knew he had never heard before. He didn't think he was crazy, though. What the voice told him made sense; it showed him the convoluted paths hidden in this strange, misty place. The voice was definitely male, probably a little older than himself. It made him think of his best friends, and his father at the same time.

_**Remus...**_

"What do you want?" he called, looking around cautiously. "Who are you?"

"Remus?" came that feminine whisper again; he hated the way the raw hope in it twisted his guts.

"Moony?" That was Padfoot, he was sure of it. He clung desperately to anything stable as the ground began to shake near him.

"Sirius, leave him alone!" she, whoever she was, yelled angrily.

"I'm not doing anything!" Padfoot shouted right back.

_No, please don't fight... Please don't make her cry again..._

_**Remus, you need to open your eyes, boyo. **__**The time is coming near.**_

"My eyes _are_ open!" he called hoarsely. "What time? What are you talking about?"

But, as he watched, the landscape began to blur. It was a slow process that gradually sped up. He began to run in the opposite direction, away from the unsettling image that made him feel like he'd stepped into a Dali painting. After an indeterminable amount of time, he could hear the girl (a name clung just out of reach) softly whispering his name, over and over. His eyes drooped like there were weights on them. Why couldn't he see anymore? The crying girl got louder, and in desperation, he ran blindly in her direction.

_**Remus, **__**this is the balance point. Either you**__** wake up or we'll lose you to your allergies! Your heart is too slow!**_

That definitely didn't make sense, as the only thing he was allergic to was... silver. A memory played tag with his mind. Chains... chains, and foul-smelling walls that sparkled entirely the wrong way. There had been so much fear.... He shook his head, which he quickly discovered was a bad idea, then stumbled and fell into the darkness he'd fled, too startled to even scream.

#

The first fact Remus truly became aware of that he was covered in sweat; the second was that he was clothed only in a thin pair of shorts (which certainly surprised him, as the last thing he remembered was wearing trousers and a button-down shirt). And the final thing, the revelation that made his eyes snap open, was the cool, soft weight resting on his chest. Startled, he looked down to find a mass of blue and black hair resting on his chest, with one soft hand resting near his cheek; he could smell her scent strongly. He was surprised, and somewhat dismayed, to find that it soothed him.

"What the hell?" he groaned, before flopping back on his pillows.

_**Sleep, boyo. All of you have been through an ordeal. **__**The fight has been won; i**__**t's time to rest.**_

It was impossible to resist that compelling voice. Remus barely had time to think how unfair it was; after all, he'd only just woken up.

#

Sirius tiptoed into the room, expecting another argument, only to find Bridget standing at the foot of the bed. He relaxed. "How is he?" he asked quietly, noticing how her eyes lit up to a warm brandy color when she smiled. He liked it when she smiled at him; it seemed like such a personal thing.

"He's fine. Better. He's finally asleep, instead of unconscious." Sirius snorted derisively, watching with secret delight at the play of emotions over her face. "What?" she asked, frowning at him; he felt his good mood plummet.

Sirius quickly tried to backtrack. He'd noticed that she didn't like being treated like a small child with an amusing, but ultimately silly idea-- even if she was a little odd, she was quite brilliant-- and realized that that was exactly what his reaction could be taken as.

"He doesn't look any different to me, that's all."

Bridget shrugged. "You just need to learn more about body language and what it shows when someone can't or won't say anything; after all, most of our communication is nonverbal. See?" She pointed in Remus's general direction. "His shoulder and neck tendons aren't tense anymore, and his eyes are fluttering now, which means he's dreaming. All the crinkles on his forehead are gone, too, which means he's relaxed quite a bit." Sirius stared at her until she pulled at her sleeve nervously. "What now?"

"You seem to know the oddest of things." Looking past her, he noticed the newest addition to Remus's chest and smiled broadly. "Hm. James and Peter owe me money."

She followed his gaze, her lips forming a small 'o' as she took in the implications of the scene. Though Remus was pale when standing next to his friends, the skin visible beneath the mass of hair seemed tan when compared to the snow-white complexion of the sleeping girl. Kagumi twitched in her sleep, the fingers resting on Remus's cheek curled then relaxed. Jet smiled slightly.

For the past two days, Remus had hovered between an allergy-induced coma and a semi-awake state, and Kagumi had not left his side much. Every morning, she took a shower for roughly ten minutes. Then she fixed a light breakfast for everyone; Jet grinned when she thought about how proficient Kagumi had become at household charms (since there was definite teasing material there). Then for the rest of the day, the girl sat in the hard chair by Remus's bed, bathing his forehead in a vain attempt to cool his fevers when they struck.

After the second time Remus had fallen out of bed because of violent twitching, she and Bridget had been ushered out of the room while the boys stripped Remus and put him in an old pair of Sirius's cutoffs. At dinner, Kagumi usually just gave the house-elves a recipe and had them cook and serve the last meal (she was so out of it that she never realized that none of her meals were being made and Bridget was taking advantage of her absence to make some of the dishes she missed the most). Not even her newfound love of flying had been able to pry her from his bedside.

"Those two..." Sirius muttered. Jet turned to look at him, and caught the tail-end of a laugh. "Those two aren't fooling anyone. They can cuss themselves hoarse at one another, but if one of them gets a scratch, the other hovers like a mother hen. Without, of course, seeming to hover."

That did sort of describe the way Remus and Gumi had been acting. But to Jet's experienced matchmaker eyes, the caution had gone from mistrust and suspicion to...something else. Perhaps there was more attraction there than either of them wanted to admit. After all, the group of friends still snickered about the Twister game at Gumi's birthday, though not where either of the participants could hear and thusly jinx them. In fact, the first time that Gumi has caught Sirius laughing about it with James, both boys wore flapping ears from a well-aimed hex for two hours before Mr. Potter finally stopped laughing, took pity on them and cast the counterjinx. Bridget was the only one who could get away with it, and that was merely because her friend would promptly bring up the (multiple) times Bridget had ended up on top of Sirius.

Jet shook her head, deciding that Remus would probably need more convincing then Kagumi on the romance end, and Sirius was the best choice to help; or the most convenient target. Whichever. "So what? She's a born worrier. She probably fell asleep trying to telepathically count his white blood cells or something."

Sirius nodded. "Still, I feel bad. Before she fell asleep, we got into an argument. I was sitting on the edge of the bed and Moony started shaking again. She thought I was doing something to him, and we got to yelling at each other. I stomped off and heard her crying again. I'm glad that she's getting a little rest."

Smiling crookedly, he picked up a blanket from the floor and draped it over the girl's shoulders, kissing the top of her head. He grinned down at Bridget when he had finished. Bridget stood tense and silent. She wasn't stupid; Sirius was up to something. (It was an opinion shared by both girls that James and Sirius had been _born_ 'up to something.')

"It's strange, Bridget. It's not even been two months since the two of you fell into our lives, yet I care deeply about both of you. It's cute, the way she hovers over all of us, but the way she treats Moony makes me think of things. Things I haven't really seriously thought of before."

"Things like what?" she asked, voice cracking half-way through 'what.' "And you know Gumi will hurt you if she hears you calling her cute. She detests being called cute." Bridget was babbling, and she knew it. But the predatory gleam in Sirius's gaze made her nervous beyond accountability.

Sirius slowly walked towards Jet, as if to avoid scaring her off, and carefully closed his arms around her. She trembled, feeling slightly trapped with his hands pressed against her back and her hands on his chest, and he smiled warmly at her, lowering his face until he was less than an inch from her.

"'Things like what'?" Sirius sounded entirely too amused. "Well, for one thing that I think you're adorable all the time, unlike Gumi. For another, how completely brilliant it would be to do this." He leaned down and softly pressed his lips to hers, enjoying the way her breath hitched, and her fingers splayed over his collar bone, palms pressing against him in a way that did not say 'get off me.' And she'd definitely kissed him back. Drawing back, his eyes twinkled. "I _will_ hold you to that promise, Bridget. I think about you too much not to pursue you." Kissing her once more, he all but skipped out of the room and Jet's eyes followed his exit, feeling as though a year or four had passed her by.

Jet pressed a hand to her lips and tried to calm her breathing; she'd never dreamed that he could affect her like that. Wincing at her lack of self-control, she spun around and went to march out of the room, running nearly face-first into James. "Whoa!"

"Whoa yourself, Chaser girl. What's the problem? You're shaking like a little mouse." James genuinely looked worried, and she tried to smile; she could tell by the look in his eyes that it failed spectacularly.

"I'm fine. Just gonna go down and find something in the kitchen. I'm a little hungry." Jet looked down, hoping to avoid more questions.

"Yeah, I noticed that our resident chef is asleep, and we are finally running out of brownies." James sighed dramatically, then brightened. "Do you wanna go flying with me in a few minutes? Sirius is searching for leftover brownies, convinced that Gumi must have hidden some," Bridget frowned; well, she wasn't going there anytime soon. James didn't notice and continued speaking, "and I'm utterly bored. Peter's gone and gotten lost exploring the basement, so I expect it'll be hours before we hear from him again."

At Jet's cautious nod, he grinned brilliantly and said, "See ya in a few," leaving Bridget alone to slow her heart. It wasn't until the blood pounding in her ears had quieted that she could hear the soft snickering coming from the bed. Angrily, Jet spun around again, catching her hip on the low table that held fresh towels for the guest bathroom.

"Ow! Damn it!" Rubbing the spot that was sure to become a bruise, she turned towards the bed, which was now shaking with not-so-silent laughter.

"How long have you been awake?" Jet demanded.

"A while," Kagumi replied vaguely, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. She stretched, and Jet pretended not to notice the lavender-colored bags under Gumi's eyes. "Since Sirius kissed the top of my head. I'm a light sleeper, usually."

"I've noticed," Jet deadpanned, the night they had dropped into this mess still a vivid memory. "At least you didn't punch anyone this time."

Kagumi nodded, yawning again. "No need to be particularly violent now. What time is now, by the way?"

"Nearly seven in the evening. James went to find Peter, Sirius is probably rearranging the kitchen while he looks for food, and the parents are still at the Ministry. Of course, you know where Remus is." Jet smiled smugly, knowing her friend's weakness for Remus Lupin.

"Yes, but I also know that I am not the only one who caved when it came to romance. So... he thinks about you too much, huh?" Kagumi smiled like a cat who got the cream. "Anyway, before you can get mad at me again, I'm going to go make sure that Sirius doesn't rip apart the kitchen too much." With that, she pulled the covers over Remus's chest and slipped out of the room, leaving a blushing Bridget to fume alone.

#

In the kitchen, Sirius was standing in front of one of the cabinets, opening its doors, closing them and then opening them again as if doing so enough times would result in food magically appearing. Kagumi stood leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. After the fifth time, she cleared her throat. He spun around, grinning guiltily, with the full knowledge that anyone rearranging the kitchen was a big irritation to her.

"Is there a secret code, transmitted via door openings, that makes food appear, Siri darling?" Kagumi asked sweetly. He scuffed his foot against the floor; that saccharine tone meant he was in trouble.

"No, but you were asleep."

"Well, I'm not now, so what do you want?" she pushed away from the door and went over by the stove, pulling ingredients as she went. Sirius stared.

"Where did those come from?" he demanded. "I swear they weren't there a minute ago!" At her mischievous smile, she opened a cabinet door, showed him it was empty, opened and shut the door to a certain pattern that sounded familiar and watched his eyes widen as food and ingredients appeared. His lower lip dropped open a bit as she quickly fixed a chicken breast with some sort of pasta and dressing, along with some grilled red peppers. Pushing the plate in front of him, she said, "Eat."

"I knew it!" he took a bite, "There _was_ a secret door-opening-code-thinige!" He paused, and took a few more bites of chicken and pasta, before looking up shrewdly. "So, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, since you nearly stabbed that woman," he began, after eating about half of the chicken; Kagumi winced. She didn't like being reminded of her lack of control. "How did you learn to handle knives?" She sighed.

"Truthfully, it came in two parts. One, I'm a cook. We use knives daily. Two…" Kagumi paused, a little half-smile on her face. "Two, my older sister taught me the basics of fighting, including how to stab someone if I ever needed to. She ran with a rough sort of crowd."

Sirius paused with the fork halfway to his mouth. "Wait a tic here. You've got an older brother, Ram. You've got two younger brothers, Alexi and Matt. And now you've got an older _sister_? Just how big is your family, Gumi?" She chuckled.

"It's quite big, and those are just the ones in America. Trust me, there's a lot of us, and we've all got weird names. Hers is Jadalycya, Jade for short. She was in several gangs when we were growing up, being five years older than me." At his incredulous look, she laughed again. "No joke, I swear. She was always the wild child. In fact, her first real job was at a bar on the 'bad side' of town."

"God, it sounds like a bad joke: Three pranksters, a gangster and a chef all walk into a bar…Ow!" Kagumi smacked him with her towel.

"You wanna hear this or not?" He feigned innocence, and finished his bite of chicken. "We were walking down the street one day, my…" She stopped, knowing that he wouldn't understand the word 'freshman.' "When I was rising thirteen. One of her ex boyfriends came at us with his groupies and friends hanging all over him. He tried to pull a knife on her, and she cut his pants off of him. It was so fast, he couldn't even follow it.

"One minute he was bad-mouthing her, and the next, his trousers are down around his ankles and his friends are running for their lives. My sister threw the dagger, and it landed next to his head." Kagumi smiled with the memory. "He said that she had amazing aim; she replied that she missed. Of course, she didn't. She only wanted to scare him. You know, right then, he asked for her to take him back? She just waved the knife again, and he left."

"Why didn't she just hex him?" Sirius seemed absorbed in the tale, food forgotten. "I mean, it's not like he didn't deserve it."

Kagumi threw her head back and laughed. "He was a Muggle, Siri love. Unless she wanted a stiff fine from our government, she had to do it the normal way. So anyway, she tucks the knife back in her boot and warned me that if I ever saw him again, I was to tell her immediately. I agreed, and then begged her to teach me how to use a knife like that. I thought it was the best thing in the world." Kagumi's eyes were far away as she reached under the back of her shirt. With a _shing_, she pulled a seven inch blade engraved with strange looking runes from a sheath sewn into her jeans. It was the same dagger from last night.

"I got this in the mail for my fourteenth birthday. There's a golden pentagram inlaid on the hilt, along with Gaelic inscriptions naming the blade. Over all, it cost her about three hundred dollars. The other engravings," she turned the blade over and showed him other runes, straight and deadly looking, "the other runes are from a language we discovered in a book. '_Aliit orishya tal'din.'_ Family is more than bloodlines." She ran her fingers down the runes as she whispered them again, a look of comprehension deep in her eyes. "_…Aay'han._"

"What was that last one?" Sirius asked, finally starting on his cold food again.

"What?" She was running her fingers over the blade again. "Oh, _Aay'han_? It's the name of the blade. It means…Roughly translated, it means 'a perfect moment of happiness and sorrow.' Like enjoying life to the fullest, but also wishing for the past at the same time. Bittersweet doesn't even begin to cover it. It's difficult to put into English." She shook her head. "It took us the better part of four years to learn the language."

"What language?" Peter asked, his hair sticking in different directions as he closed the basement door. He gently pulled a long cobweb from his ear, and shuddered, checking for spiders.

"A language called…" Kagumi hesitated as she heard someone else come down the stairs; Jet would certainly kill her if she was caught talking about a language that didn't even exist yet after the little discussion they'd gotten into. "It's called Mando'a. If you want, I'll put some basic starter pamphlets in the Den and you guys can pursue it at your leisure. But for now," she yawned. "I think I'm gonna go ch-- I mean, take a shower." The memories of her sister weren't pleasant ones, and she needed to feel a measure of control in this fantasy world.

She started to walk away when Sirius asked, at Peter's prodding, "Gumi. Where's your sister now? You said you got that in the mail; why didn't she just hand it to you?" Kagumi stopped cold and replied without turning around. Sirius watched her shoulders square, and knew that she was frowning. He wondered why.

"She's always had a mechanical touch. So… a few years back, she up and left. Last I heard, she was fixing cars and motorcycles somewhere in Florida. I haven't seen her in five years. And I've got no idea where she is now." With that, she fled, leaving the two boys to look after their friend and wonder what had happened.

#

Kagumi sat by Remus's bedside. It was late out, the moon high in the sky, and nearly everyone else was asleep. Kagumi had gone for a long fly on her new broom, getting to know its quirks, and had taken a shower when she got back. The towel wrapped around Kagumi's long hair no longer held in the heat of her shower and she shivered. He looked peaceful, she thought, far peaceful than she herself felt. The strain of fighting her emotions caught up to her, and something responsible inside broke. Hesitantly, she began to speak, saying things that had been trapped in her head since the birthday party.

"Remus, I know that you're asleep. I'm glad that you are, because I don't think I could possibly have the courage to say this to you if you were conscious. This was much easier in my head, I'll have you know." She smiled. "Despite the fact that your allergy scared me half to death, these last few days have been the nicest you've been to me. Of course, that could be because you've been unconscious."

Kagumi smoothed his hair, lip in teeth before continuing. "Your mum's been by a time or two. Said that with such a severe reaction, we were lucky you weren't dead. Nearly twelve hours of constant exposure slowed your heart to the point that we... I…" she hesitated. "For a while, I as afraid that you would die. I don't want you to die, Lupin. Then who would I have to fight with?" She sniffled, but refused to let the tears fall. Gathering courage from the fact that his breathing was still deep and even, she wiped her eyes with one hand; there was no need to cry.

"I care what happens to you, Lupin. I don't know why, but I do. I just wish you'd give me a break. I wish I could let you in on my secrets, wish I could gain your trust and prove to you that I'm not as bad as you think. Then again, I've always had a weakness for attractive men." She joked, then remembered that he was asleep. Her fingers traced the faint scars on his cheek, her touch feather light, and she smiled sleepily. _He's not better yet, but he will be..._

#

"Should we be eavesdropping on this, Cor?"

"Sh!" Cordan shushed his friend, trying to hear what Kagumi was saying.

Raminus crossed his arms. "I just think it's a very private moment, is all. Maybe it's not right to listen in."

Cordan sighed and turned to Raminus. "Will you shut your mouth? I want to hear what she's saying!" Cordan glared until he realized that he'd done the wrong thing. Raminus' eyebrows scrunched up, and his fist connected with the side of Cordan's face before he could blink twice. "Ow!" Cordan punched Ram right back, and the two of them set to scuffling (quite a feat in a broom closet) and rolling around. Somebody hit the door and it flew open, tumbling them both into the hallway a few feet. Raminus wound up sitting on Cordan's back, with his arms pinned.

"Quit eavesdropping on my sister!" he grunted, pulling the tendons even tighter. Suddenly, Raminus let his opponent go, too stunned to even move after Cor threw him off. Cordan flexed his arm muscles, rubbing angrily at the tendons where Ram had stretched them the wrong way, and caught sight of his friend's face.

"What's with you?" Cordan grumbled, still irritated that even after so much time, Raminus could still get the better of him.

"She's not my sister, Cor. So why do I feel like this?" Raminus looked up at his friend, confusion etched into his eyes. "I know you feel the same with Bridget. But why?"

"I told you boys there were certain consequences to getting too involved," Godric's voice said from behind them. "I tried to warn you that it wasn't all fun and games. By pretending to be their family, and being believed, you've become their family. You've made those bonds, and there's no way to break them. Your fate is tied to theirs now." Cordan's grandfather stepped back into the shadows, chuckling into his mug of cocoa.

The two men stared at each other in alarm, and raced back into their little 'office', neither having qualms about spying now that it affected them all.

#

"That was fun," James said in a bright and cheery voice. Bridget pulled nervously at the grass, her mind on other things. "Then again, it would probably have been more fun if you had been paying attention." He sighed. "Jet?"

She looked up and blinked at him. "Hm?"

"What's going on?" he asked, waving a tired hand. "Did Sirius do something? Because he's been humming all day, and I was starting to suspect he'd done something to my stuff."

"Nope. Nothing at all." Bridget's voice was too innocent, her answer too quick, and James knew something was up.

"Bridget," he gave her a stern look over his glasses, "you're glowing bright red." She ducked her head, and James decided that was a sign to throw an arm over her shoulders. "C'mon, I won't laugh. Probably. Possibly."

"I... um... he kissed me," she mumbled into her hands.

"Good Lord, is that all?" He stood up, extending a hand to help her up to. "C'mon, let's go. I told Sirius to meet us, said we had something to tell 'im. You know, about the article idea."

"But, I don't _want _to." She dug her heels into the soft ground, and even if James practically picked her up off the ground, it was the defiance that counted. Sort of.

"This was bound to happen sooner or later, Sirius never gives up something he's interested in, and he is definitely interested in you." James sighed, A Look on his face. "If you don't get up, I will carry you there."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

In the end, he did.

#

"I don't know, Lupin. I feel like I'm going stark raving mad. I want to be your friend, at least, but you keep pushing me away and then I get angry and push you right back." She yawned again, longer this time, and sighed. "Well, I'm just going to say one last thing, and maybe some part of you will understand it. I know about your furry little problem, Lupin, and I don't mean an ill-tempered bunny rabbit."

Kagumi leaned very close to his ear, breathing softly. "And I also think you should know that I don't find it particularly frightening. I will never treat you as anything but human, love, and I certainly don't think you're a monster. And now I understand why you were so determined for us not to like each other. I'm glad to say that it didn't succeed. " With that, she kissed his cheek gently and left to seek her own borrowed bed.

#

Cordan and Raminus stared at each other, completely shocked. "Did you see that?" Cor asked in awe.

"Yep."

"You know what that means?" Cor asked.

"Yep."

"You know that things are going to be good soon, right?"

"Yep."

"You know that you're gayer than a tree full of monkeys sniffing nitrous oxide?"

"Yep." Raminus paused, his fried brain sifting through that one again. "Wait, what?" He looked at Cordan, who grinned slyly. "You tosser, that's not true!" And so started another cramped fight; this one was less erratic than the last, and burned off worry quite effectively. Godric smiled as he hefted himself from his position of leaning against the door, taking a long sip of his cocoa, and left the hallway, shaking his head.

#

Once the sound of Kagumi's footsteps had faded from the room, Remus opened his eyes. He'd heard the last part of what she'd said, and it made him feel something he couldn't put into words. The words echoed in his head, and as he listened to it over and over, the knot of fear in his chest loosened. He hadn't smelled any deceit or fear in her scent, no lies. Waves of guilt crashed down on him, and he understood what Sirius meant about being surprised. Not just surprised, even.

Her reaction outright scared him.

Not because he was afraid of her, but because she wasn't afraid of him. She didn't hate him, or fear him, or denounce him the way he expected everyone to. The way anyone with any sort of sense would. She even wanted to be friends. _Well, I did accuse her of being senseless..._ The ironic thought brought a smile to his lips, and he yawned.

He half raised up, intent on getting up, but the effort left him drained. Irritated, he fell back on his pillow and tried to ignore the way her scent permeated the little puff of air. _How much time did she spend in here?_ He wondered before his eyes drifted shut again. In another realm, far away, two dead and yet not dead, sort of family members smiled, even as they wrestled, knowing that long-awaited plans were finally coming to fruition.

In his dreams, there were no limits. Remus sighed deeply, breathing in a gentle scent, and his lips curved into a smile.

#

James was a lot stronger than Sirius gave him credit for. After all, he wasn't muscular, he had the thin build that most Chasers did, built more for speed and accuracy then strength, so this was impressive. He'd known, after the fact, that Bridget wasn't going to be too keen on seeing him anytime in the near future, but he hadn't expected that James would have to _drag _her to their meeting. He wasn't sure how he should feel about that.

"We had an idea," James was saying when Sirius finally wrenched his attention away from Bridget's blushing face. "About what we should do with the, um, wolfnapping thing." He poked her, making the girl yelp with surprise.

"What?" she snapped at him, glaring at James furiously. She still couldn't believe he had _carried her _there.

"You tell him; it was your idea."

"It was not. We had it at the same time."

"Tell him."

Sirius sighed loudly. This back and forth was likely to give him a headache. "I am sitting right here, you know. I don't care who tells me, as long as someone does."

"Well, I-- we-- had an idea," Bridget finally said, when she realized that James was going to sit there with his mouth firmly shut until she did something.

"I'd gathered as much."

"Will you _listen?" _Sirius made a show of leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms before giving her a pointed look. "Good. Well, they were going to use the Prophet, so I figured we should use the Prophet, as, I dunno, ironic revenge or something. We can interview all of the kidnapped peoples and write a series of articles based on their experiences. Build up sympathy. If we can make them human, it'll be easier to accept them." She paused. "Of course, they'll all be anonymous; not everyone can be open-minded."

"I talked to Dad about it," James continued. He seemed satisfied that she was over her embarrassment, but she'd still have to find a way to get back at him, "and he set it up with Herbert Longbottom, the editor. They went to Hogwarts together. You know, Frank's dad."

Bridget gave Sirius a nervous look. James had thought it was a brilliant idea, but even she could tell he was easily excitable. He was an idealist; Sirius was, oddly enough, much more realistic, and he knew more about closed-minds. If he thought it wasn't going to work, it probably wouldn't. He blinked, and a slow smile spread across his face.

"Genius. How are we going to do it? Did anyone tell Moony? Gumi? Who's going to write it? I suppose we could trade off--"

"I'm writing it."

Sirius looked up, surveying Bridget with shocked gray eyes. "You?"

"I'm a good writer-- at least that's what I've been told-- and I have experience with news-writing," she said. She'd already had to go over all this with James. "Lead reporter for my school paper and youth correspondent for the Advertiser back home. I did a piece about the Hawaiian sovereignty movement last year, too, and one about race prejudice in Hawaii, so I know how to tread lightly with difficult topics. Persuasive writing is my specialty, but I can do unbiased work, too."

He smiled, and Bridget couldn't help but smile back. "You are brilliant."

James clapped his hands together. "Ace. I already sent the owls out. We'll figure out who will go with Jet for each one when I get the dates. Pete should probably go with that little girl; she was sweet on him."

"What? Why do you have to go?" Sirius asked her, ignoring his best friend's enthusiasm. "It could be. . . "

"Dangerous?" Bridget arched an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "We'll not go the night of the full moon, and if they don't want it, then we won't go. I have to be there. If I don't hear the interview, the entire tone will be off, and responses always lead to more in-depth questions." She smiled sharply. "Now, I have to go write some prep work before Gumi pries herself away from Remus."

Bridget stood up and swept out of the room, throwing the pillow she'd been holding at Sirius as she left. He heard a snickering sound next to him, and stuffed the pillow in James's face. "Shut up."

#

Kagumi served lunch the next day, which was fast becoming the only meal she could rouse herself enough to make, and noticed wary looks from one whole side of the table. Peter and James were shying away from her, whereas a week ago they'd have been right in with the affection-play that had become her life. Remus was still in bed, and grumbling loudly about it. But, she thought, with a mental smile, at least he was alive to grumble.

"For Merlin's sake," she rolled her eyes as Peter stepped on James's foot in his hurry to get away from her as she grabbed a knife to slice the rest of the vegetables. James sat down in his favorite chair, tipping it back with his feet; Peter sat at the end of the table. Bridget was bustling around the kitchen just as much as Kagumi, smiling and laughing as though nothing were wrong (who knew, maybe she really didn't notice anything amiss), and Sirius was dipping his fingers into the stew when he thought neither girl was watching.

Dumping the copious amount of sliced vegetables into the stew pot, which was easily as half as tall as herself, Kagumi slammed the knife back down onto the cutting board. "I've had it!" she snarled, whipping around and facing the two cowering boys. Peter squeaked, and James's chair titled back too far, dumping him out onto the kitchen tile.

"You two are going to sit there, and cower in front of me, run for cover when I even look at a knife, and then wonder why I'm avoiding you?" Kagumi clenched her hands tightly. "You're the ones avoiding me!"

James came up red-faced. "I'm am not!" he called, setting the chair back upright.

"Oh really?" Sirius asked calmly, looking up from the latest comic book Kagumi had lent him.

"To be fair, you spend quite a bit of your time with Remus," Bridget put in. She ignored Kagumi's glare. "You're not really making it that _difficult _to avoid you."

"Listen to me, both of you." Peter squeaked when she turned her piercing gaze on him, deciding it was best not to acknowledge Bridget's point. "Yes, I lost control. Yes, I overreacted. Believe me, it's haunted my dreams a lot more than it has yours."

"You didn't just lose control; you tried to kill someone!" Peter said, cheeks burning defiantly.

Kagumi's shoulders shrank in on themselves; her whole form seemed to wither. "I know," she said simply. "I know."

"You _know? _You tried to kill someone. You don't _kill someone _unless you have to," James continued. He sounded almost angry about it. In unison, Kagumi and Sirius winced. "Killing them... it just brings us down to their level."

Bridget's eyes darted from James to Kagumi, and passed over Peter and Sirius before resting again on James. This was quickly getting out of hand. Kagumi looked like she was about to burst into tears, James seemed extremely self-righteous while Sirius, for once, didn't seem to know what to do. Wonderful; she had to get involved.

"True," she said. Great, now Gumi looked even more upset. "James, you're right. It's not _right _to lose one's temper that badly, nor is it right to, well, kill someone without proper provocation. Just listen for a sec, okay? Be open-minded and all that rot. You're a Gryffindor, right? Noble? I'm sure you can manage it."

"But--"

"_James. _You've done stupid things. Sirius has done stupid things. I'm sure Pete and Remus have done stupid things as well, although I can't name any. I know _I've _done stupid things. You can listen to Gumi explain _why _she'd done her stupid thing." She gave him a pointed look, and returned to her book. Playing catch up had her busy. "Continue."

He stared at her for a moment, eyes wide behind him glasses, and he seemed to deflate a little before turning to Gumi. "Why?" It seemed to be the best course of action. Bridget had sounded a bit like Lily and he didn't want her to chuck her book at his head.

"Because she really made me angry." Kagumi's sorrowful gaze lifted for a moment to the ceiling, flicked across each of them once, and then settled on the floor once more. "Because she tried to harm a member of my Pack."

"Pack?" Sirius asked, one eyebrow raised; this was interesting.

"It's what I've always called my family. You're all part of my family now. We've been living together for over a month, closer to two, and even though Remus isn't fond of me," she glared at Peter's exaggerated cough, "I couldn't stand to see him that way. I hate bigots. Hypocrites are even worse."

"So...it was just...fighting for us?" James asked, apparently forgetting about his soapbox speech reaction from earlier and sinking slowly into the chair. "You were just protecting us?"

"Yeah," Kagumi said sadly. Bridget gave her a brief hug and Sirius's eyes flickered over his friends, wondering if he should offer Gumi a hug as well. He'd, after all, understood immediately; he knew what it was like to want to kill someone, and he knew how James felt about it. They still didn't speak about... that.

"Oh, all right then." James's casual dismissal of the incident was enough to bring Gumi's head up.

"What?" she asked, not sure she'd heard him correctly.

"Well, you were just protecting your family. So... that's all right then. Right, Pete?" James's hazel eyes focused on Peter and the boy nodded. With the bonds mended, Kagumi ladled out the stew into bowls, ruffling each boys' hair in turn. Jet shared an amused glance with Sirius and Peter as James pretended to ward her off with crossed fingers and then pouted when, instead of handing him his homemade piece of bread, Kagumi elected to throw it at him. Forcefully.

#

"You want to what?"

"Well, we're going to go help support Remus in his horribly afflicted suffering of tonight," Sirius's melodramatic voice answered; Kagumi's eyes narrowed.

"So wait. You, three puny humans, want to go to a werewolf's house, and 'support' him, when you're his prey?" Kagumi held up a finger. "_And _you want Bridget and I to come with you?"

"Pretty much," Peter nodded, as if talking to a child who couldn't grasp a particularly difficult concept.

Kagumi looked at Bridget, who hadn't even seemed to notice and was still reading.

"Sounds good," the girl said. She winced when Kagumi kicked her in the shin. "I mean, does he have a safe room?" Bridget asked, looking up from her book.

"Of course. We're Marauders, Jet, not stupid," James sounded horribly amused by the whole ordeal.

"When do we leave?" Kagumi asked, already packing a large bag full of food. The boys spun around, surprised (though why they should be, when they'd heard her outburst to Skeeter's article) by her speed. She glanced up to see two dropped jaws and one thoroughly thoughtful look. Bridget snickered, and pulled out her own bag, the same lime green First Aide kit from Hawaii.

"We packed last night, with extra clothes for him, some raw meat as a peace offering and first aide for when dawn comes," Jet's voice was a little on the smug side, as if she'd expected better out of the three boys. Kagumi smirked, and held up a large portion of Kobe Beef, which she'd had the House-Elves run to Diagon Alley's Gourmet Market for (Mrs. Potter had basically loaned the Elves to her, so they didn't need her express permission to leave the Manor anymore.), wrapping it snugly in parchment paper.

"We won't go with you," Kagumi said softly, knowing that the boys didn't yet trust them _quite_ enough to reveal their Animagus forms, "but we'll arrive shortly before dawn. So you're taking the peace offering, and we'll be there to patch him up and haul him back here." Kagumi's eyes twinkled as she tossed the meat to Sirius, who caught it numbly, and watched as she sank back into the comfortable chair. He was aware that she was giving them a time limit, a curfew, almost, without saying right out that she suspected something about them.

"We'll see you around dawn, then," James said, tipping an imaginary hat (the group had watched an American Muggle movie last night called McLintock! and James had been off on a cowboy kick ever since) as the three boys walked slowly to the door in the waning light.

#

"I'm telling you, they know that there's something odd about us," Peter insisted, his alert eyes having caught the girls' completely unsurprised reactions.

"Well, I'm telling you that it's fine, because I trust them." James's voice was final as he made sure that the bolt on the cage door slid easily enough for dog jaws to open.

"You didn't trust Gumi until she yelled at you," Sirius grunted, half-supporting, half-carrying an exhausted looking Remus into the cage; James threw him a dirty glance, and Sirius smiled cheekily. "And I do too. They've helped us far more than I ever expected."

"Guys," Remus's voice was slightly slurred as the moon began its inevitable climb into the sky. "Guys, leave it alone: its hard enough to find people who accept me, and I don't want anyone running them off quite yet." Sirius' hand brushed casually through Remus' hair and he pulled out his wand, casting the same charm he'd used on the fanatics in the warehouse.

"Sleep, Rem. Sleep through the pain," he murmured, cradling the thin boy against his chest as the two of them waited for moonrise. "Gumi'll kill me if I let you get too exhausted."

- - -

Author's Notes: Alright, so there it is, the sort-of conclusion to Wolfnapped. See, Remus is alright. Please, don't kill us. Next, the story moves on, and there will interest. Like us? Love us? REVIEW!!! Please? It makes us write faster.

Posted on: 2/12/09

Last Edited on: 2/12/09

Preview of Next Chapter (dun dun duuuuuuun):

_"I'm not going anywhere in your arms, Potter." Lily crossed her arms over her chest, better to deny the effect James was having on her._

_"Well, then you'll be stuck here, with your sister, all day, _Evans_," James said, mimicking the exact tone Lily used, his arms also crossing._

_"Somehow, _Potter, _that doesn't bother me half as much as willingly stepping into your arms." And that was that, or so she tried to tell herself._


	14. A Potter Breakfast

**Chapter 13: **

A Potter Breakfast

Jet woke to the scent of another of Gumi's breakfasts. Smelled like... omelets and bacon this morning. Eggs for the protein, and meat to solve the predatory feelings left over from the previous night. Smiling sleepily, she made her way to the kitchen to find, not surprisingly, that Remus and Kagumi were arguing again. James was leaning back in his chair, drinking more of the freshly squeezed orange juice (how on earth Kagumi got fresh oranges every morning was beyond her) that had become a breakfast staple in the Potter Household. Jet cringed as she heard Kagumi slap the spatula on the table and paused in the doorway, wondering whether breakfast was worth dealing with an irritable lycanthrope and an irritable witch at once.

"Dammit, Lupin, you said cheese omelet. That's what I made."

"See? This is why I never eat breakfast here," Remus snapped. "Especially after last night. I don't know why I'm even up!"

"Oh and why is that, Mr. I-am-so-paranoid-I-won't-eat-properly?" Jet stifled a laugh and sat next to James, grabbing the only empty mug at the table.

"You're insufferable! I mea--" Remus stopped short, because Kagumi's hand, holding the still steaming spatula, was less than an inch from his eyes. Without even looking, she dumped the cooling omelet on his plate, along with four pieces of toast and a generous helping of bacon. (It was widely known between the Marauders and their new friends that Remus was generally considered to be too skinny. Of course, turning into a ravenous, rampaging carnivore once a month didn't help one's metabolism...)

"Listen to me, Lupin. I fixed what you asked for, because I'm trying to be nice. James asked me, for the House-elves sanity, to cut down on my arguments with you. So I will only say this once: if I have to shove every last crumb of food down that skinny little neck, _I will._" Satisfied that her point had been made, Kagumi sat between him and Sirius.

"Sirius--" Remus began, when Kagumi cut her eyes at him with The Look. With a grumpy sigh, he picked up his fork and began eating. James looked at Gumi in amazement.

"I've never seen anyone able to out-stubborn Moony. I'm impressed."

"Well, I am not." Jet narrowed her eyes. "Gumi, dear, you seem to have a bad habit of threatening people with spatulas."

"And knives, or wooden spoons, or towels, or OW!" Grimacing at Kagumi's painful kick, Sirius shut up and stole two pieces of bacon from Peter's plate. Jet nodded as if the other girl had only managed to prove her point.

"We have to teach you to be nicer." With a sigh, she took another sip of her hot chocolate (the boys had quickly learned that she was not a huge fan of either tea or coffee, and that they were not to touch her cocoa if they wanted to retain all body parts). "I guess it's impossible for you not to threaten at least one person a day."

"It's a Potter breakfast, Jet. What do you expect? Someone has to teach them how to behave." Kagumi gave her friends a long-suffering look that only lasted until she and Sirius cracked up at the same time. "Yeah, right."

#

Nervously, Kagumi motioned for Bridget to ring the doorbell. It was a rather plain door, oaken, and well made, if not beautiful, and it belied the importance of the family who lived behind it. With a grimace, Jet pushed the tiny glowing button, and stepped back as the door swung open to reveal a skinny blonde girl. Thank Merlin she'd managed to keep James away from the doorbell this time.

"Who're you?" she sneered. "We don't give to charities anymore, so bugger--"

"Petunia!" Lily's shocked voice came from the foyer. "They are my guests."

"Oh. More of your kind? I thought they looked familiar."

There as no reply, only a disgusted glance from the elder Evans sister as Lily came into view. She was wearing a simple white blouse and dark shorts, and somehow, she seemed to outshine the sun; at least to James, that is. Kagumi smacked his arm lightly in hopes that he would, maybe, stop staring so obviously.

"Oh. Ev...I mean, Lily, you look nice," James said softly, his hazel eyes locked on hers. Kagumi smiled inwardly; Jet wasn't the only one who could scheme.

"Wow," Lily looked at Kagumi and Jet. "You actually taught him some manners." She smiled brightly at the boys, James included, and motioned for everyone to come inside. Kagumi's feet stayed firmly planted on the little doorstep.

"Actually, Lily, we were hoping that you'd come back to the manor with us," Kagumi shrugged. "I don't think your sister approves very much of magic, and we need all the tutoring we can get." Lily nodded slowly. "Besides, you're in Gryffindor and there's something I've been working on; I could really use a second opinion. I think I mentioned it at the party."

"That...is very true. All right, but no funny business, Potter." Jet and Kagumi shared a smile over Peter's head; this part of their plan was going perfectly. Kagumi grabbed on to Sirius, who Disapparated with a loud crack. Remus took Bridget's hand, reluctantly, and they Disapparated at the same time as Peter, which left James and Lily standing alone. He smiled half-heartedly, and opened his arms.

#

"That...is unexpected." Cordan smiled at Raminus; it was rare for something to surprise him. "Those girls are born schemers. They could give you a run for your money, Ram."

"Tell me about it," Raminus grumbled. "I never expected them to fit in quite so well in our worlds. If we're not careful, we might be out of a job soon."

"Yeah, but you have to remember, we picked them for a reason. Besides, they'd never take our jobs: the pay sucks."

"I know. So shut up and let's watch what happens." Raminus turned his eyes back towards the gilded mirror, not noticing (or perhaps ignoring) Cordan's smug grin.

#

"Potter, is this some kind of setup?" Lily narrowed her eyes.

"Not on my part," James said truthfully. "The other girls just caught onto whoever they were more comfortable with."

"Whomever," Lily corrected absently; her mind was busy running through her encounter with the girls.

She hadn't pegged them as schemers, and yet, something about this situation screamed 'setup.' Perhaps Potter had asked them for help; it would be just like him, that no good, slimy Quidditch-playing...Quaffle-catching...She shook her head and sighed deeply.

"I'm not going anywhere in your arms, Potter."

"Well, then you'll be stuck here, with your sister, all day, _Evans_," James said, mimicking the exact tone Lily used.

"Somehow, _Potter_, that doesn't bother me half as much as willingly stepping into your arms."

#

Raminus winced. "Ouch. That has to hurt."

"Yeah, she's rather feisty for such a nice girl." Cordan _tsk_-ed sadly. "And here I thought they were doing so well."

"Well, we know the spark is there. Maybe the fire'll light soon. In all the other worlds, she was still physically violent towards him at this age. Compared to most other realms, this is better progress than we could've hoped for."

#

"C'mon, Evans. I can't be _that_ bad." James sounded whiny, even to his own ears. He immediately cleared his throat.

"You'd be surprised," Lily said dryly. Rolling her eyes, she took a reluctant step forward. "Let's get this over with, Flyboy."

Before she knew it, his arms had encircled her waist, and, even if they were much lower than was proper, she found herself feeling… at home. She tried to ignore the way he smelled; masculine, and strong, with a hint of the pines that lined his estate. And something else, underneath everything; some scent she couldn't identify. Pressing her ear against his chest, she could hear his heartbeat quicken and somewhere, some part of her mind admitted that maybe this wasn't as bad as she had feared.

With a loud pop, much softer than the crack Sirius's disappearance had made, she was standing on the marble doorstep of the Potter Mansion. It was a very beautiful house, a soft blue-white color. The grass seemed greener than any she had ever seen, and the forest to the east made the pine-scented breeze very pleasant. In fact, she took a deep breath, she smelled something sweet... grapes. Grapes, and other berries to the west; that was what she hadn't been able to identify in his scent. She sniffed appreciatively, getting a noseful of fruit and Potter. Which reminded her that she was still in his arms.

"Potter, you can let go now."

"Right."

He dropped his arms slowly, and she tried to convince herself that the sudden pounding of her heart was a delayed reaction to being squeezed through an extra-dimensional bendy-straw. The door swung open, to reveal a matronly looking woman, with kind hazel eyes and a gentle smile. Her silver hair was braided and coiled neatly in a bun, and Lily immediately thought that this was one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen. The thought, _nobility_, sprang to mind and Lily smiled before she could help it.

"You must be Lily Evans. James mentions you all the time!" The woman, who could only be James's mother, clapped her hands together and motioned her inside.

"Really?" Lily looked slyly at James, who was resolutely staring at the sky, pretending that neither woman existed. "Yes, I'm Lily Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Potter."

"Oh, please, dear, no need for such formality. We're not like most of the other purebloods. You can call me Mrs. P, or Vivian, whichever you're more comfortable with. The others are already out back." Mrs. Potter looked at James. "James, be careful, the last two corridors are acting funny again. I think one of your father's charms has gone awry. Perhaps you should take her through the second story instead." She winked conspiratorially, and walked serenely down the hall to the library.

#

Lily walked a careful distance away from James, her eyes straight ahead. "Potter, I hate to admit it, but you've got a nice home."

"I know. I'm very lucky. Since the girls showed up and decided to pitch in, house-elves are actually complaining because there's not enough work to do anymore. Can you believe that?" he laughed, and Lily nearly tripped; it was such a heartfelt sound, so enthusiastic for life. She tried to steer her thoughts in another direction.

"You really care about them, don't you?"

James frowned thoughtfully at this.

"Yeah. Even though Bridget can be... odd, and Kagumi gets downright creepy at times, it's never boring here anymore, and we both know that things tend to explode when Sirius or I get bored. Or, of course, when Gumi gets mad...or bored...or sad..." He stopped, grinning roguishly. "Are you seeing the same pattern here that I am? Anyway...There's a life to this place that there wasn't a few months ago. Even though we're in the middle of a war, you can't really feel it here anymore. They..." He gestured soundlessly. "There's no word for it. They fill empty spaces we didn't even know were there."

#

Kagumi smiled broadly when James and Lily walked out of the open-air corridor that led to the backyard. They were talking softly, and in the three minutes it took for them to walk over to the rest of the group, there hadn't been any violence or raised voices. Jet smiled at Gumi, and they nodded at the same time; that was a good sign. Sirius, however, seemed to be a bit more oblivious. They'd left it up to James to inform that Kagumi's secret project was putting together a show for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, since she hoped to try out for the sport once they arrived at Hogwarts.

"Come _on_, I wanna fly, I wanna fly, I wanna fly, I wanna fly, I wan--"

"Sirius Valentine Black, if you say that you want to fly _one more time_, I will smack you with a broomstick into _next freakin' Thursday!"_ Kagumi gritted through clenched teeth. Sirius gave her a look.

"_Oh, _that's what you were talking about Gumi," Bridget said. "I was wondering why you were talking about a dead saint."

Bridget seemed to think that was explanation enough and continued flipping through the book, post-it notes handy to mark which spells she wanted to teach herself that evening. Sirius still had his mouth open, prepared to speak, but Kagumi on the other hand, looked very confused.

"What?"

"Hm?"

"What are you talking about? A "dead saint"?"

"Valentine's a Catholic saint," she responded without looking up from her book. "He was imprisoned for performing Christian marriages during the Roman persecution, and is reputed to have healed a blind jailer's daughter, then giving her a farewell letter before his execution and signing it 'from your Valentine.' Supposedly the combination of the two resulted in the creation of our modern Valentine's Day traditions. Well, that along with both pagan traditions, and capitalistic reasons."

"How do you _know_ that?"

"Irish-Catholic, of the Bostonian stock, and twelves years in the Catholic school system. Also, I read a lot... and watch the History Channel."

"How'd _you_ find out my middle name?" Sirius whispered, wide eyed and frightened as he stared at Gumi.

"I bribed Peter with white chocolate brownies." Kagumi smiled in a self-satisfied way. "He told me all about that incident in the broom closet."

Sirius looked horrified. "That was not my fault! There was scheming and an ungodly amount of Firewhisky involved!"

Bridget looked back and forth, clearly confused but willing to play along to get the full story.

"Well, that'll teach you not to step into a closet and snog whoever happens to be there at the time, you--" Kagumi broke off as James caught onto their conversation and laughed loudly.

"Oh, Gumi, that was all over the school for _weeks_. Poor Padfoot couldn't even step into a classroom without somebody reminding him of it. Even Minnie gave him a hard time."

"Minnie?" Jet asked. She groaned. "You _didn't."_

"Minerva McGonagall. Our Head of House." Peter chirped helpfully.

"Mind, she only gave him a hard time because she knew that it served him right for sneaking into Aberforth's storehouse and getting piss drunk on a dare." Remus said from the shade of a tree, where he sat reading a book. Kagumi smirked at her friend.

"So. It seems, friends and fellows, that we are at a bit of an impasse." Jet looked closely at Kagumi's eyes. _Oh no…_ she thought, _that's the same look her brothers get._ Kagumi smiled widely now, knowing that Sirius was on the hook and thoroughly unable to get off. Of course, that was part of the act. "Siri, darling, I'll make you a deal: I'll not mention the broom closet to anyone." Sirius' look of relief was enough to make Lily laugh. "However, you have to beat yours truly in a test of skill."

Sirius resumed his previous swagger, confident that he could beat her at anything she chose…except maybe cooking. "Name the game, girlie."

"Girlie?" Jet's eyebrow quirked. "That better not include me."

Sirius' sly grin was enough to answer her, and she waved the idiocy onwards; she couldn't deprive them of their fun. Kagumi, on the other hand, was as cool as ever, unless you looked in her eyes: There, green fire blazed, from adrenalin and irritation; a deep desire to belong and show that she could hold her own.

"The game, Mr. Black, is flight. And should you beat me, I won't say anything about the closet. I beat you, however, and…" here the girl broke off, looking uncertain. "You shall owe me a favor." James's eyebrows went up; that didn't sound promising at all.

#

Kagumi hovered about two feet off the ground, roughly the same height as Sirius's broom. At James's signal (being that he was the most experienced flier on the sidelines) the two brooms rose. With a wild grin, Kagumi angled her broom towards the tree and began a fast dive, swooping less than a foot over Remus's head. He yelped, and dove to the ground as she cackled and regained her height; a few seconds later, Remus sat up and glared as the girl waved cheekily at him and serenely dodged a dive attack by Sirius. _She may accept me for what I am, but aerial attacks are off limits!_ He thought, fully intending to talk to her later.

Sirius smirked, and leapt into a series of complicated maneuvers, positive that there was no way she could keep up with him. But when he looked back, she was on his tail, drafting his wake and keeping up turn for turn. He heard Lily's shocked whoop, as Kagumi smirked and did a double backwards loop for show.

Sighing, he decided to stop holding back and really put his friend through her paces. For nearly an hour, they did intricate moves, played Midair Keep Away, and eventually Sirius bowed his head.

"Do your best move, Pheonix, and we'll call it a game, and let Prongs decide who won."

He did a signature move that James had only ever seen on a Quidditch field. Kagumi, however, took a deep breath and reversed, spinning in a barrel-roll, which led into a steep climb, and then dove sharply. For the first time, Bridget was worried, she could already tell that was a difficult move and knew that neither boy would have let Gumi practice it, as inexperienced as she was. Kagumi swung her legs around the shaft of the broom, and Bridget tried not to shout out as Kagumi used the momentum of the broom to swing herself up to actually stand on the shaft like a surfboard; maybe the girl did know what she was doing, Jet admitted, as the broom shaft began to sink gracefully to the ground.

"Those lessons from 'Wika really paid off, Je - -" Kagumi's eyes went wide when she was about ten feet from the ground. It seemed to happen in slow motion.

The front of the broom tipped towards the ground, and a useless thought floated through her head. _That wasn't standard stance. _Jet instinctively turned away, knowing full well that she wasn't going to be able to do a damn thing, and, with Lily clutching his shirt, James suddenly found himself with his arms full of the two girls.

Kagumi stepped backwards, nearer the tail end, and upset the balance even more. Pitched forward, she hit the ground rolling, and everyone watched in horror as the broom handle hit the ground right behind her, tipping itself over and over, which repeatedly struck Kagumi's body. Finally the broom landed on the ground, quivering, and Kagumi lay face down, not moving. Bridget winced at the final thump and looked up, breathlessly afraid as she saw the girl's back arch, and then Kagumi went limp.

"_GUMI_!"

Jet's cry was only matched by Sirius's. Everyone else seemed to stand in stunned shock, as Sirius and Bridget raced to the unconscious girl. Jet found herself bent over her friend, searching for some sign of life. She had just found a rapid pulse and was trying to see if she was breathing when a shoulder pushed her out of the way and she looked up to tell James to back off, and stared in shock.

Remus Lupin shoved her out of the way, hitting his knees right by Kagumi's side, facing Sirius. The only thing James and Lily, approaching more cautiously, could tell was that the girl was breathing. Sirius carefully rolled Kagumi over onto her back, taking a harsh breath at the sight of her face.

Both lips were cut, and her face was mottled with the beginnings of bruises. When she hit the ground, she'd hit face first and as Kagumi flopped onto her back, her right shoulder had made a sick grinding sound; the boneless way her right arm lay made Bridget nervous. There was some bad swelling already beginning on her torso; that could a rib or two she'd broken.

Snippets of sound registered in her ears, as she dimly heard James telling a House-Elf to summon Vivian, and reassuring Lily in soft tones. But louder to her ears was Remus's half-whispered, "No no no…no."

He patted the girl's face softly, watching for some sign. Sirius smacked his hands out of the way, and levitated the limp girl with his wand up to the back door, Bridget hovering next to him. Vivian met them there, her face set with a frown. Soundlessly, she motioned them down the corridors to a guest room where they deposited the injured girl. _I knew that letting them fly today was a bad idea..._ Vivian thought to herself.

Mrs. Potter threw some Floo powder into the fire and stuck her head in, yelling, "Veronica Lupin" Some muffled conversation, one sided of course, and Mrs. P jerked away from the fire, pulling all the teenagers towards one side of the room. Remus's mum came through the fire, looking frazzled in her lime green robes.

"What happened?" Mrs. Lupin asked unenthusiastically, looking tired.

Remus knew she'd just gotten off the late shift, she hadn't even had time to change out of her robes yet. Vivian gestured at James, her own eyes still locked on the battered girl.

"Sirius and Kagumi were flying, and they were…showing off, I suppose. You see, Kagumi wanted to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team," this was news to Jet, "and needed all the practice she could get. So Sirius set her a group of maneuvers to practice, and they went through the drills."

"Then what happened? This was no mere fall." The Mediwitch was already doing some basic examination charms.

"Truth told, she attempted a move that Sirius and I held in high regard, having only ever seen it done once. It was a reversed Slingshot, and a Wood Chimp, crossed with a," he glanced apologetically at Jet, "Surf Swing." The Mediwitch shot him a glance.

"She actually tried that?" _Hm. The girl is braver than I gave her credit for..._

"Yeah. Actually had a good hang on it, too, but on the last part of the Swing, she lost her balance. It tipped the broom into a Pole-vaulter at least three times, and each hit landed on her." James sighed, sharing a guilty look with Sirius.

"I need to see her. Entirely." Sirius, James, and Peter looked quizzically at each other; Remus was already headed towards the door. "In other words, get out!"

The witch shooed them out, and the door slammed behind them. Remus ran his hands through his hair, feeling very out of sorts. Yesterday, if someone had told him that he'd be anxiously waiting outside Kagumi Pheonix's sickroom, afraid for her, while his mother tried her best to patch the American up, he'd have laughed himself silly. But here he was, chewing his bottom lip, and trying not to imagine what that delicate body looked like after such a horrid accident.

Sirius felt numb. They'd choreographed a lot of that scene, but those last few moments had been completely new to him. He'd fallen asleep last night, trying to explain the maneuvers they were going to pull off, and she must've gotten into his tactics journal. He'd been working out, for the last few months, just how to attempt that move. He'd seen it used in a professional match once and had been desperate to invent his own moves. But for her to actually try them was sheer madness. He shook his head, and sighed. The four boys started walking, and Remus sighed. Why did his throat feel so tight?

It hurt to think of her name and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why. The sight of that fragile, bruised face made it hard to breathe, but none of the others seemed to be showing that sort of symptom. Finally, James and Sirius sank into the first chairs they set eyes on, while Remus paced. Peter stood at the doorway for a minute before calling Remus's name.

"Yeah, Wormtail?" Remus's voice sounded brittle, even to his own ears.

"Why'd you lead us to the kitchen?" Peter asked, cocking his head as if trying to figure something out about Remus. Suddenly, Remus couldn't stand the thought of the kitchen, couldn't stand the memories that threatened to overwhelm him, memories he didn't want. He turned blindly and ran out the French doors that led to the patio.

The exercise felt good to his stressed body, and for the first time, Remus found himself wishing that he could lose himself in the mindlessness of the Wolf, if only so that he didn't have to feel the wrenching fear.

#

"What…was that all about?" Sirius asked, well and truly confused.

"I'm…not positive, but I think I know what's going on." Peter sniffed. "I think he's worried about her." There was no need between the Marauders to clarify who 'her' was. A small squeak on the steps took their mind off of the worrying as Lily, white faced and shaking, stepped into the room.

"She's bad. Some ribs were broken, mainly when she rolled. And something's wrong with her shoulder joint, and her arm seems to be either cracked or broken." She smiled tightly. "But it seems the broom is fine."

"That doesn't matter. We can get her another broom," James said sharply, still staring out after Remus and ran his fingers through untidy hair, suddenly slumped in weary relief. "How long until she's recovered?"

"No telling. Depends on how strong she is. A few days, at most. Mrs Lupin certainly seems to know how to patch people up. Kagumi's dressed now, and most of the bruises have been healed by some paste that Mrs. Lupin brought with her. You can go see her, so long as you're quiet. But, I think I'm going to go home."

#

Remus, having finally been chased down by Padfoot in dog form, sat by Kagumi's bedside. Sirius sat beside him, James and Peter on the other side. Jet was busy in the corner, prepping the bandages, just like Mrs. Lupin had taught her. The broken bones had been set (luckily sans a Lockheart type incident) and her ribs tightly bandaged. Kagumi was to stay off of a broom for at least two weeks, if not more, and the concussion would fade in a day or so. At least half of her face was covered in some sort of bruise-healing paste, and the splits in her lips were healed up.

The boys waited breathlessly for her to wake up. Remus leaned on the bedside, and Sirius had her fingers tightly wound around his. Kagumi shifted slowly, leaning onto her right side, which put her nose and lips right against Remus's arm. She took a deep breath and made the sound that Jet thought of as her, "I don't _wanna_ get up," groan. Remus slowly flushed as the other three boys turned to look at him.

The pressure on Sirius's hand tightened as Kagumi's misty eyes opened wearily. "Okay, now I know I'm not dreaming," she whispered, the slightest movement of her lips sending goosebumps down Remus's arms. He shivered and discreetly moved his arm a few inches, uncomfortable with the sudden change in his blood pressure.

"Why's that, love?" Sirius asked quietly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Because I didn't hurt until I woke up," she blinked lazily, and closed her eyes again. "It only hurts in the real world." James slammed his fist on his knee, the sound making the tired girl jump.

"Well, in our world, Marauders don't do something stupid!"

Bridget glared and smacked him upside the back of his head, opening her mouth to respond. Gumi beat her to the punch.

"Oh, really? James Nathaniel Potter, I could cite at least ten things that each of you have done stupid over the summer that I've been here; should I start with you?" her sharp voice lacked the cutting edge without her green glare to back it up. "Besides, I'm not a Marauder, I'm just dumb old Gumi. I'm only good for cooking and taking up space in a library. Nobody gives awards for reading books, and I've never done anything noteworthy in my life. But each of you is extraordinary and I think..." Kagumi yawned widely. "I think I'm just going to go back to sleep, now." She was quiet, and sounded tired, almost sad. It was the same voice, Sirius realized, that Remus often had after a full moon.

Peter tugged on James' arm, saying that Kagumi needed rest. Sirius kissed her forehead and left with the other two, leaving Jet and Remus alone with her. Slowly, Remus moved his arm out of the way, and she opened one tired eye at him.

"Truthfully, Lupin, I don't even know why you're here. I figured you'd be happy if I managed to get myself killed."

"Well, you were wrong," he said in a quiet voice, one that seemed much more in tune with the original Harry Potter character. Gone was the anger, the violent suspicion that had typified her month and a half here; in its place was a soft concern, and she found her heart warming towards him.

"Really?" her voice hadn't lost its cutting edge, but it was softening. "Well, I'd hate to disappoint, but I'm too tired to argue with you."

"I don't want to argue, Pheonix. I just want to make sure that you're all right."

Kagumi's last thought before sleep claimed her was wondering who'd replaced the Remus Lupin she'd come to know. And as he watched her drift off, he reflected on what Sirius had told him, and watched the girl sleep. There would be another time to confirm the information Sirius had given him.

#

Bridget fidgeted uncomfortably in the silence. Remus had gone up with the soup about twenty minutes earlier, and no one had spoken since. She knew that Gumi had been hurt, and seriously, at that, but (she wasn't sure if it was because of her own numerous injuries or not) she didn't really understand why everyone was still freaking out when she was already half-healed. It would only be a few days, right? It must be the inherent protectiveness of Gryffindor men.

"I can't believe she did that," Sirius said after another moment.

"What?" she responded. Bridget blinked with the same surprise that the three boys were looking at her with; she hadn't meant to say it aloud. Blushing slightly, she decided that she already started speaking, so it wouldn't do to stop now. "Gumi wanted to prove herself so she pushed herself as far as she could; it was just a little too far. Almost managed it, too; it's a shame she made such a silly mistake."

James was leaning forward now, hazel eyes intent as they studied her. "What mistake?"

She frowned. They couldn't possibly not know; _they _were the Quidditch stars. "Her footing on the last maneuver, of course."

"She's right," Sirius said, comprehension dawning. "The right foot should have been in the back."

James waved a hand at his friend, quieting him, and asked, "What was wrong with it?"

"Um, well, you called it the Surf Swing, and Gumi mentioned something about 'Wika's lessons, so I assume that it has something to do with surfing. I suppose it does make sense, the concepts are quite similar despite the different methods of moving through the chosen element." She cleared her throat, setting her mind back on track. "Anyways, Kagumi uses standard stance, but she was goofy-footed when she did the trick. It messed with her balance, hence the fall." Bridget frowned. "Really, she should have known better; that's one of the first things 'Wika goes over."

Now Sirius was looking intrigued as well. He exchanged a look with James.

"Goofy-footed?" he asked. "What does that mean?"

"Sorry, it's a slang term. It's the non-standard stance in sports like surfing or skateboarding. It's not the _wrong _stance, just not the normal one, like being left handed instead of right. The problem is that is messes with your balance when you use the wrong one."

Bridget realized that they were giving her slightly confused looks, and stood up purposefully. After all, they'd need something to occupy themselves while Remus was being insane. She frowned, looking between the two boys before deciding.

"Up, Sirius."

"What?"

"Get up," she clarified. "Come here. I need an example."

He paused for a moment, but stood and walked over to her. He stopped in front of her, looking at the girl as if judging her sanity.

"Feet together, love," Bridget instructed. "Arms at your side. Head up. Relax. Don't fall, now."

Sirius barely had time to register her last statement before she place her hands on his shoulders (they were warm against his skin) and… pushed. Hard. He stumbled, but didn't fall (just like she had told him not to).

"Oh, dear," she said, frowning softly at him, her brow furrowed over large eyes. "You're goofy-footed. That kinda ruins my example."

"What are you _talking _about?" he asked.

"Well, the foot one uses to steady oneself when suddenly put off-balance is the foot that should be in the back when surfing; it's the dominant foot. You, my dear, are weird. Most people use the right foot for balance, you, oddly enough, use your left."

"That would make sense; I'm left handed." Sirius shrugged. "Well, to be more correct, I can use either hand but left is dominant."

"Nothing to do with it." She waved a hand dismissively. "You could be right handed, left handed, ambidextrous... the foot you use for balance is unrelated."

"Brilliant," James said.

"Not really," Bridget said, shrugging. "Unless you consider lefties to be brilliant, as well. It's the same concept."

"No," he replied quickly, eyes bright behind his glasses. She briefly wondered about _his_ sanity. "Padfoot, this explains why you couldn't do the move. You should be doing the, um, what was that, Jet?"

"Goofy-footed stance."

"Yes, that."

"It makes sense, mate."

Sirius nodded and sat back down. "Yeah, it does." He turned to Bridget. "Gumi told me you don't know how to surf."

She frowned, sitting between the two boys with her arms crossed over her chest petulantly. "She made an assumption. Usually she's right, but it doesn't make it any less annoying." She sighed. "I don't surf because I'm painfully afraid of sharks. I'm actually a good surfer-- used to compete when I was younger—and I still boogie board and body board because it's closer to shore and I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie." Bridget grinned. "A need for speed. I still help 'Wika with dissecting tricks for competitions."

"Dissect tricks?" Sirius prompted. That sounded promising. As good as both he and James were, they still had trouble trying to duplicate others' ideas without it being explained first.

Bridget shrugged. "My mum made me do dance and my dad had me in every possible sport at one time or another, including martial arts. Surprising as it may sound, I'm actually pretty good at most things and I've always been good at tricks or difficult moves, especially with boards or bikes. 'Wika says I can see where the balance is, how weight shifts and all that rot."

James and Sirius exchanged smiles over her head, although the girl didn't notice. Sirius pulled his tactics journal out of his back pocket while James summoned the Quidditch Board. This could come in handy.

#

The smell of chicken and a delicious-feeling heat near her face brought her to her senses. Kagumi slowly opened her eyes, and had to stifle a laugh. Remus Lupin was sitting by her bedside, with a bowl of cooling chicken soup on the bedside table, snoring softly. She wondered briefly if he knew that he snored. _Blackmail..._

"Lupin?" she said quietly. "Lupin?" She touched his hand gently and winced when he jumped.

"What?" he asked groggily.

"Lupin, I could use some help getting up."

He extended his arm and pulled her onto her elbows, after which she refused help. With a few grunts and one loud gasp of pain, she struggled into a sitting position with one arm wrapped around her ribs. Wincing, she looked at the bowl, which he handed to her. She took a cautious sip, relieved to find that the pain that was left hadn't done much to her appetite.

"Who made the soup?"

"Surprisingly, Bridget made it for you. Well," he amended. "She helped me make it; seems to find my lack of culinary experience appalling. She's with James and Sirius right now, I don't remember doing what, but she'll be back later tonight. So I offered to stay up here in case you woke up." She looked at him in amazement. "What?"

"You actually offered to stay with me?" she asked quietly, wondering if maybe he'd hit his head. At his embarrassed nod, she began eating again, glancing at him peripherally. _Remus Lupin...Being nice? I must've hit my head harder than I thought,_ she thought dizzily. She winced, one hand to the side of her head, and sighed. _That...was stupid._

**Author's Notes: ** So yeah, this is part one of a two part chapter. Sorry. It got ridiculously long, and we couldn't cut it down without sacrificing plot.

Like us? Love us? SHOW IT! Review! It makes us feel guilty, so we write faster.


	15. Just That Good

**Warning/Disclaimer**: Alright guys, hold onto your hats, socks and other clothing parphenelia. I strongly suggest setting aside any beverages or foodstuffs, and using the loo before reading this. It's highly amusing, and we can't be held responsible for any liabilities.

Oh, and we don't own anything but the usual.

**Chapter 14**:

Just That Good

* * *

"We got it!"

Bridget blinked up at James, frowning at him. He was waving several parchments in the air, and had a wide smile on his face. She wondered idly where his glasses were and why he wasn't wearing trousers. Then she glanced at the clock and realized that it was already four in the morning. She'd pulled an all-nighter. Bugger.

"Isn't that what you were wearing yesterday?" James asked.

"Perhaps," she allowed. Luckily, he only seemed to be half-awake and it was easy enough to distract him. "What, exactly, do we have?"

He blinked, his eyes somehow looking bigger without his glasses. "Huh?"

"Your, um," she gestured at the papers, "your stuff."

"Oh, right." He handed the papers to her, and she quickly read them as he spoke. "We got the responses for our interview requests. Five yeses, as long as we maintain their anonymity."

"Really?" Bridget finished reading the last letter and smiled up at James, who was looking quite proud of himself. "This is so awesome. Their requests for times don't even interfere with each other. We can actually do this."

"Well..." James sat on the arm of her chair, somehow taking up most of the space from his perch. "The first interview is when we're supposed to meet with Mr. Longbottom, but I can do that on my own, say something about protecting your identity, and we should be fine. Sirius can go with you. Have you figured out what your super secret spy name will be?"

Bridget tried not to giggle, managing to suppress it to a mere smile. She regretted ever explaining James Bond to the boys; she should have _known _that it could only have bad results. "First of all, I'm not a _spy; _I'm a journalist." James made a vaguely negative sounding noise that she ignored. "Secondly, yes, I did. J. Gryphons. Nickname initial and a different spelling of my last name. Since everyone will already be under the impression I'm of-age, I'm pretty well protected." She gave James a bright smile. "If anything, they'll assume that I'm you."

"Me?" He looked quite befuddled.

"Yup. You see, your father set it up, there's that "J" bit and you _are_ the quintessential Gryffindor, so "Gryphons" isn't completely out of the question. Of course, then they'll read it and know it couldn't possibly be from you."

"That bad, huh?"

"In your dreams," she muttered with a smile.

He grinned, pulling her out of the chair with one move. "C'mon, let's wake up Sirius."

"All right." Bridget let the boy guide her out of her room. "Wait, one question first. Why aren't you wearing trousers?"

"I'm wear--" There was a pause as James frowned down at himself. "Huh. I knew I was forgetting something. We should probably stop off and let me put something on."

"Good idea," she responded, nodding decisively. "We don't want Sirius to kill you because you weren't attired correctly."

* * *

Sirius was going to have to thank James. Bridget had effectively avoided him for days, but she wasn't even being jumpy around him now. Of course, that might be because she was too busy being nervous about interviewing this Corriana Sadia person. He watched as she tugged at the hem of her shirt, smiling up at him when Sirius took her hand and held it as he knocked on the door. She moved closer to him, half hiding behind him with her small hand on his bicep.

Things were starting to look up.

The door opened, revealing a young woman with a nice smile. She couldn't be much older than they were, with short, black hair (aside from the one silver lock that lay against her forehead) and amused hazel eyes. She kinda reminded him of what a Potter girl would look like. With neater hair. Her eyes focused on Sirius and he felt his stomach drop. He recognized the look on her face, and it didn't bode well for him.

"Mr. Potter?" she asked. He tried not to laugh from surprise. It was the first time he'd ever been mistaken for a Potter.

"No. I'm Sirius Black. James is arranging the final details with the Prophet." And it was so nice to have her not recognize his name and give him that expectant look, like he was going to hex her for existing. He pulled Bridget further forward. "And this is Jet Griffins, she'll be writing the piece."

"I'm Corrie," she introduced. Her accent was similar to his girl's, and Sirius wondered if they were from the same area. "Why don't you come in?"

* * *

Bridget did not like this woman, and, even worse, she didn't like _why _she didn't like the woman. Corrie Sadia was a bloody _flirt_, and it irked Bridget that she'd probably like the older woman if she wasn't making eyes at Sirius. She watched as the woman responded to her question with an unfair amount of charm and ended up with her hand on Sirius's knee, and tried not to glare at the offending limb.

"Greyback's known for turning people for a reason," Bridget continued, still trying to ignore the situation. "Was there a reason why he turned you instead of just killing you?" She winced, smiling apologetically. "I apologize for being so blunt."

"It's all right. I'm, um, a sociology and psych major, and I was doing a paper on the effect discrimination has on the discriminated group, including possible degeneration of the group to the stereotypes. One of your..." she trailed off, frowning, "those people who do your police work."

"Aurors."

Corrie shot her a grateful smile and Bridget felt herself unwillingly warming up to her. Then the woman's eyes drifted back over to Sirius again and the chill descended. "Yes, one of your Aurors was using it to prove that werewolves really are dangerous all the time rather than just at the full moon, which is _not _what my paper supported, but... you know... the devil can quote scripture for his purposes."

* * *

The tension between the two of them began to lessen as the day wore on. Kagumi actually felt well enough to get up, and she walked around the room a bit before getting too tired and Remus had to help back to the bed; he stoically ignored the way she snarled at him for fussing over her, but she'd seen the slight upturn at the corner of his lips. It was almost enough to make her warm up to him.

Two days passed in this manner, before Kagumi woke up and realized that she'd finally awoken alone and without any pain from her ribs. _I should be healed by now, right?_ Cautiously, she put her feet on the floorboards and grabbed her wand from the bedside table. An evil grin stretched her lips as she padded through the hall towards the guest room, where Remus was sure to be sleeping. As she mentally ran through a previously prepared list of spells in her head, she waved her wand and muttered a few charms, setting up for one of the funniest mornings of her life...

* * *

"What are you doing?"

Bridget jumped, her pen drawing a heavy line across the pages of her composition book. Well, at least she could still read what she had written. She closed the book and smiled at the two boys.

"I'm writing outlines for the article."

James and Sirius exchanged amused glances. It was odd, but not outside the realm of possibility with her. "In the closet?" Sirius asked.

"Um," she felt her face heat up, "yeah. I didn't want Gumi to find me and it's quiet here." Sirius sat down next to her. After sighing heavily, James joined him, closing the closet door before he sat. "What are you guys doing?"

"We were looking for you," James replied, leaning against the door and stretching out with his feet propped on Sirius's knee until Sirius pushed them off. "Wanted to see how you were getting on with the writing."

"It's going well enough," she said. She clipped the pen to the notebook. "I finished the intro and outlining Corrie's piece, although I have to owl her with a couple of questions. I'm about halfway through outlining Ms. Bulle's piece, but with the extra notes she gave me I won't have to owl her."

"Can we read it?"

Bridget snapped the notebook shut, holding it tight to her chest with both hands as she gave Sirius a scandalized look. "No! I'm not _done._"

"Come on," Sirius reached for the book and she jerked away from him, glaring. "I won't laugh."

"No."

"_Bridget_," he whinged. He tried to reach behind her to get at the book.

"Sirius!" she yelped when his fingers brushed her side and tried to suppress a giggle. Bridget had been pretty diligent so far and they hadn't found out just how ticklish she was, but she could tell from the look in his eyes that the ruse was up. Uh oh. "Don't you _dare_,_" _she warned. She could feel the dread settle in her stomach, only getting worse when his grin widened.

"Don't I dare what?"

Bridget backed away, but it was still a closet and she didn't really have anywhere to go when he pulled her closer. Lighting his own wand, James grabbed the notebook from where she had discarded it in her attempts to ward Sirius off, and opened to the first page, ignoring the laughter from the couple. The page was a little messy and strewn with corrections in bright red ink, but he could make it out easily enough. Bridget hadn't been exaggerating; she really was good. Even the first draft (except for the parts that had such heavy lines drawn through them he couldn't read them) was better than anything he could have done in a couple of days.

James looked up, over the book and sighed. "If you two want some privacy I can leave." He waved the notebook. "It's good, Jet."

"Really?" She really sounded nervous as she absent-mindedly pushed past Sirius and sat next to James, flipping the book open to one of the pages. She leaned closer, pointing to one of the heavily edited passages. "I wasn't too sure about that; it seemed a little too pathos. Bathos, even."

"No, not at all. Just the right amount of emotional appeal."

Bridget made a vague noise and James let her take the book from his hands, closing his tired eyes for a few seconds. "And if I..." she muttered. He opened his eyes and jerked violently awake; Sirius was glaring at him so hard he looked like he was trying to kill James with his mind. James didn't understand _why, _though. It's not like Sirius had _really _been doing anything with Bridget. He'd just been... oh. He'd been straddling her while she tried to wiggle away, and now she was practically hanging off of James's shoulder. Bugger.

Bridget made another soft sound and stood up, head buried in the book and pen in her mouth. She patted him on the head (which in and of itself should have clued Sirius into the fact that she was _not interested _in James) and left the closet. She was obviously already in her own world as she closed the door behind her, immersing the boys in darkness.

Simultaneously, Sirius grinned and James turned white; this was the perfect environment for revenge.

* * *

Bridget had gone missing again. Kagumi wasn't sure where she'd disappeared to, but she knew that she would prefer for her friend to see the results of her spellwork; and she hadn't even had a disaster. She was halfway down the hall when she realized that there were strange sounds coming from the closet a little further up. Hesitating only a moment, Gumi took a deep breath (you never knew what was going to happen in the Potter household) and opened the door.

Sirius and James tumbled out, wrestling for at least a minute before Kagumi decided that enough was enough. She cleared her throat and the boys froze. At least they looked good, with their rumpled clothing and mussed hair. Actually-- Kagumi swallowed harder than normal, and fixed her mind elsewhere-- they looked a little too good, which was weird in its own way. She thought of Sirius as a brother and playmate and James as a friend, nothing – she pointedly ignored the grunts as James tried to throw Sirius off – more.

She wondered briefly how Jet would react, and decided to ignore the situation all together. It was only when she raised one eyebrow that her old fan-girl mind kicked in, and she briefly thought of all the strange slash she'd read as a Muggle. Sirius (who had James's hands pinned over his head and was straddling him in a manner that most would see as much more than friendly) grinned up at her, thankfully distracting her; she could feel her face getting red.

"Hey, Gumi. Is there something--" He was interrupted as James tried to throw him off again and almost succeeded; Sirius's bigger frame seemed to be helping him. "Is there something we can help you with?" Kagumi decided it was best not to mention their... predicament.

"Have you seen Jet?" she asked instead, voice carefully calm.

"Yeah," James said. "We were just with her."

It took exactly 12.2 seconds for Kagumi to process that. "In the closet? All of you? Doing wha-- nevermind." She probably didn't want to know.

James flipped Sirius over, switching their positions. "Do you want us to help you look for her?"

"Um... no. I think I'll check the room." Quickly, Kagumi fled the little hallway, listening to James and Sirius grunt as they presumably flipped positions again. Once far enough, she leaned against the wall and dissolved into helpless giggles.

* * *

Kagumi slid back into bed, motioning Jet to get in the corner. Confused but willing to try nearly anything once, Jet did as she was bade and watched Kagumi prepare herself to call on long-rusty acting skills. The girl took a deep breath. "Oy, Lupin!" she yelled down the hallway. A startled yell, and she heard three pairs of feet thundering down the hall. Sirius was first into the room, with Remus following closely. James came at a more leisurely pace, still yawning.

Sure enough, the spells had taken effect and he'd never noticed. In what had become known as Marauder Sign Language, Kagumi told Sirius and James to look at Remus. Both boys turned around to look at their friend and did a double take. Remus had put his feet on the floor, setting off charms which basically changed his coloring from pale tan to Gryffindor Tartan. Red covered his entire body, with differently sized golden stripes running throughout that matched his eyes perfectly. James's eyes went wide; he seemed abruptly awake.

Jet clasped her hands over her mouth, and looked at her friends. Kagumi kept a carefully straight face, and Sirius was the first to blow it. He let out a gasping burst of air, followed by his distinctive barklike-laugh. James tried not to snigger, and lost spectacularly. Later, Kagumi couldn't decide which bit of the day was funnier, whether it was Mrs Potter dropping her knitting when the five of them walked through the halls, or whether it was the enchanted mirror on the second floor landing, which had screamed shrilly when Remus passed it.

Then there had been the small House elf riot when they'd detoured through the kitchen, avoiding the clouds of purple gas spilling from Mr. Potter's workroom. ("Dad, you okay?" "Fine, fine. Just a little stained.") When they'd passed through, three of the Elves had screamed out, "Gryffindor!" and latched onto Remus's legs with surprising strength and determination.

_And he never caught on. Amazing...

* * *

_

Remus trudged into the bathroom, preparing to brush his teeth. Running through the day in his head, he noticed a slight peculiarity to his friends' behavior, but ignored as the giddiness which generally accompanied the end of summer. He rinsed, and went to spit into his sink when his eyes widened. _Why, that sneaky little witch..._ he thought, half amused and half horrified.

_I'll get her for this...

* * *

_

Kagumi awoke rather abruptly the next morning, as if disturbed by something. As soon as she went to sit up, a little hatch came open in the ceiling over her bed. A sign came flying at her face, and only when it had bounced back on it's bungee cord was she able to read it, trying to catch her breath: **Messer Moony would remind Miss Pheonix that unless she wants to start a prank war, she should keep her charms to herself**. Kagumi smiled dryly; apparently, he didn't know the double meaning there. She tugged a little on the sign, noting that her fingers couldn't quite touch the wood the sign seemed to be made of.

"Cushioning Charms? That's the best you can do, Lupin?" she muttered, turning the sign over and yanking it from the bungee with one violent jerk. "Oh, it's on now..." she said fiercely, relishing the challenge. After all, it was she who'd taught her brothers the art of pranking. And a prank war seemed to be the best way to celebrate her newly recovered health. Smiling, she crept down the hall and began laying another trap.

* * *

Peter ducked to the side as Kagumi hurried past him, followed at a much slower pace by a cautious Bridget and Sirius. Bridget gave him a blinding smile. "Ready to go, Pete?" she asked. She stowed a book away in a knapsack and stuck a pencil in her ponytail, before taking out her shoes with her free hand.

"James isn't coming?"

"Nope," Sirius responded. "Neither am I." And he wasn't happy about it, either, but Mrs. P needed his help and they couldn't reschedule. He watched as Bridget started hopping away, attempting to put her shoes on without sitting down. When she was far enough away, he pulled Peter slightly further away. "Keep her safe, Wormtail."

Peter jerked away from Sirius. He'd seen what she was capable of; she was much more powerful than he was. "What?" he squeaked. "Jet can take care of herself better than anything I could manage." They both looked over at Bridget, who was pulling herself out of a box she'd stumbled into. Sirius gave Peter a pointed look, and Peter swallowed. "Okay. I'll make sure she gets back."

Sirius clapped him on the shoulder. "That's a good man, Pete."

Bridget made her way back to them, still smiling, although her hair was slightly mussed now. "Okay, I'm good. Let's go."

"Um..." Peter glanced at Sirius, who nodded, gray eyes dark. The three of them walked away from the Potter property. "Yes. Yeah. Sure. Do you know how to Apparate?"

"Nope."

She held out her hand cheerfully, and, after a second Peter took it in his. The last thing he saw before he Apparated was Sirius's frown. He hoped he wouldn't splinch them.

"Mr. Peter! Mr. Peter!" A little girl with blond pigtails crashed into Peter, hugging him around his knees. She looked up, blue eyes wide and a huge smile on her face. "Hi." She beamed up at him, and Bridget could practically see his heart melt.

"Hi, Amiah." He gestured at Bridget. "This is my friend, Jet. Do you think you can answer her questions?"

Amiah nodded shyly, shifting her grip from Peter's knees to his hand as she led them past her mother and into the cozy living room.

* * *

Remus sat on the side of his bed, still getting used to the information that Sirius had given him.

"_Remus, you really need to be nicer to her," Sirius said in a low, urgent voice._

"_Are we going to go over this again, Padfoot?"_

"_Until it either sinks in or I have to pound it in, then yes, we will go over it as much as needed." His cheerful manner was completely at odds with the threat._

"_Sirius, I..." Remus faltered, unsure of how he felt about the surprising girl._

"_Well, let me put it to you this way: Not only does she accept you for who and what you are--"_

"_I know that!" Remus snapped, tired of hearing about it._

"_But that girl actually stayed by your bedside for two days. _Two days, _Rem. She cared for you, sat by you, and did everything she knew of to try and make you better." Sirius finished, his eyes entirely too somber._

_"She what?" Remus whispered, mortified. He hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment from her. _Sirius has to be wrong, _he thought wildly. _There's no way...

"_She cried over you, Remus. She was the one first out the door to hunt for you, _after _telling off the Headmaster. Then she went against her morals and nearly killed someone for you. So think about that before you decide whether or not she's worth trusting." Without another look, Sirius turned back to the girl's bedside table. _

Several things were clicking into place in Remus's mind. He vaguely remembered his wild dreams in what he called The Abyss. He remembered following a pair of grey-green eyes and a woman's sorrowful voice calling him along the twisted, hidden paths in that madness. And it wasn't until Sirius told him what she'd done that he'd realized that those Eyes and that Voice all belonged to Kagumi. And as he'd woken up this morning, he'd remembered the first time he woken up, to her sleeping on his chest, one hand curled protectively on his cheek.

And Remus Lupin had realized how very wrong he'd been.

* * *

When Richard Lionel talked he sounded like a pompous fool. Of course, he wasn't, having been the only person (until James and Sirius) to best Minerva McGonagall in Transfiguration O.W.L. numerical scores, but he was wealthy and old-fashioned and he sounded idiotic. Sirius grinned to think of what Kagumi and Remus, with their razor-sharp wits, would make of him, and then decided that the guy couldn't be all that bad. At least he cared about his wife, who had been there for a few moments when they first arrived, then disappeared into the library adjacent to Lionel's study. He looked fondly after her, before returning to the group waiting for him.

"I'm sorry," Lionel blinked at them. Bridget stopped tapping her pen against the closed notebook. "I don't believe I've gotten your names."

James-- their fearless leader-- took over. "This is Bridget Griffins and Sirius Black, and I'm James Potter."

"Really? Are you the same Potter and Black who transfigured that dragon replica in Minnie's class two years ago?"

James and Sirius exchanged looks. 'Minnie?' Sirius mouthed.

"Um, yes, that was us."

"Splendid! I wanted to ask you a few questions about that."

Fifteen minutes later, Bridget stood and wandered into the library. The conversation Lionel was having with her boys didn't seem like it would end any time soon, and the interview itself could wait; exploring the house seemed much more interesting at that point. She ran her fingers along the books, most of which seemed to be in Latin, at least in that section. There was a loud bang from the study and she cautiously looked towards the room; there didn't _seem _to be any screaming or signs of distress.

"Miss Griffins?"

Bridget spun around, flushing red when she realized she'd walked in on the room Mrs. Lionel was using. She was a small, older woman with a kind face and soft-spoken nature. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"No, you're not intruding." Mrs. Lionel gave her a sympathetic smile. "Which one is yours?"

"The boys? Um... neither. We're just friends."

"Ah. I understand. It can be hard sometimes... being with a lycanthrope."

"What?" Bridget turned away from the room. "James and Sirius aren't-- It's our other..." She trailed off. "You're right; it is hard. Would you mind answering a few questions?"

* * *

Kagumi crept back a few inches to study her handiwork when she heard footsteps and realized that Remus must've woken up early. _Oh, bollocks, _she thought, trying to decide which way to go. Before she could turn, the door had swung open and triggered her first charm.

"Ah!" both victims yelped, icy water cascading down both of their necks.

"Dammit, Lupin, you weren't supposed to wake up yet!" she stomped angrily, wringing out a braid that looked to be the width of Remus's arm. He shivered, feeling the water still trickling from his hair. He resisted the urge to shake his head like a dog, as he'd seen Sirius do so many times, and settled for wiping his eyes clear of the freezing water.

"T-T-That's cold," he stammered.

"Nah, I thought it was a nice, warm temperature," she said acidly, turning to walk away, trying to remember where she'd set the other two charms. He followed, triggering both charms in succession, grunting in disgust. When she'd finally fled to her room, she tried to shut the door, but found his foot in the way. _CRUNCH_.

"Ow," he said softly, eyes watering. "Can you just wait for one bloody minute? Or do I have to break my other foot in order to get you to talk to me?"

"What do you want now?" she shot back, still clearly irritated that her pranks had been ruined. He slipped his hand through the gap in the door and caught her arm. She spun around, intending to rip her arm out of his tight grip when he startled her by asking one of the questions she didn't want him knowing the answer to. Anger, she decided, was the best reaction; it was the one they all expected. Well, more like irritation. Fond irritation. _Ah, dammit...Knee deep, and sinking fast..._

"Did you really almost kill someone?"

Kagumi went stock still, breathing stopping for a moment. He could smell fear in her scent, but it wasn't what he expected. _She thinks I'm going to hate for her answer...Why?_

"You really want to know?" she asked softly, shoulders squared.

"Yes," he answered, worried about what could be scaring her.

"I won't sugar it up, and say that I did it for noble reasons. I can't. I can't pretend that I did it for that little girl, or the rest of those people," she warned. At his cautious nod, she continued. "When I saw what they'd done to you, when I saw the extent of your injuries and the way I could barely find a pulse beneath my fingertips, I... I lost control. I carried you out into the hallway, just like a sack of potatoes, and then the next thing I remember was having Sirius bodycheck me to the floor, wrestling my dagger out of my hand." She finally met his eye, and he saw the mirror of his own struggle each month. _She's afraid of her dark side, _he thought absently as she eased the door open to free his foot.

"I expect that you know a bit more than I do about having a part of you that you're terrified of, but it's something that scared me. I haven't lost control like that, ever," she muttered, sitting on the bed. He opted to lean against the doorframe, thumbs in his pockets. She snorted mirthlessly. "You know, that really only works for Sirius, and sometimes James."

"What?" She had a way of jumping from topic to topic that was astounding, when he recalled the few conversations they'd had. Of course, he'd noticed that Bridget tended to do the same thing; maybe it was an American thing. Or there was always the likely prospect that it was a defense mechanism; after all, if you distracted an enemy before they had a chance to properly evaluate your fortifications, then the longer you'd last in a siege. _When did this turn into a siege?_ he wondered. And then as he took stock of her defensive stance, one he easily recognized from all of their vicious arguments, and wondered to himself. _And when did I become the enemy?_

"The I'm-concerned-but-I-don't-want-to-ruin-my-heart-of-stone-tough-guy-image." He smiled, really smiled, for the first time since she'd met him and Kagumi found herself drawn in by his eyes. The little lines at the corners crinkled most attractively, she thought, as she chewed on her lower lip. Then his eyebrows shot a little higher, eyes beginning to lose that strange mesmerizing hold they had over her, and she recalled all of their fights with a vengeance. _He doesn't want much to do with me. Even in the Twister game, he didn't want to be near me._ Remembering his look of wide-eyed fear as he got up was the only reality check she needed.

"Any more questions in your interrogation?" She smiled a little in his direction, carefully gathering her shields around her again. He looked taken aback by her now-cold nature.

"Oh, if it were an interrogation, you'd know it. But as a matter of fact, yes." Remus hesitated, his eyes slowly losing their dazzling glow. "Why?"

"Why...What?" She looked down, unable or unwilling to meet his eyes, he wasn't sure.

"Why everything." he shrugged, gesturing around himself. "Why did you sit by my bed, why take care of me, even after I've been admittedly horrible to you? Why care at all?" He was genuinely puzzled at this strange behavior.

She blushed. "Because...I don't know. The idea of you dying terrified me. The idea of not having you to bicker with...To fight with, to play pranks on..." she sniffled, but thankfully didn't cry. "I wanted to do _anything_ in my power to save you, even from yourself."

"What does that mean?" he asked warily.

"Oh, please!" She looked at him, skepticism etched in every feature on her heart-shaped face. "I know your type, Lupin. You were probably thinking to yourself, as you sat in that cell and slowly gave up, that no one was going to come looking for you, that no one really cared and that behind your back we all think we'd be better off without you, right?" His eyes widened and that was all the confirmation she needed. "Let me tell you something, Mr. Lupin: You. Are. _Wrong_. And I don't really want to talk about it anymore. I want to forget that night, if at all possible."

Remus didn't say anything for a while, and Kagumi began picking at the laces on her battered sneakers when he finally broke the uncomfortable silence. "You know, maybe Sirius was right. You surprised me. I can't say as I've ever had anyone try to kill for me. And while it doesn't make me happy, I am a very little bit flattered, if totally bemused. And I think I owe you an apology. I... I'm sorry, Kagumi." He bowed slightly in her direction, before exiting the room. Not even the large wet smear on the white paint could make Kagumi angry as she tried to process what had just happened.

* * *

They were running late. James wrapped an arm around Bridget's shoulders and Apparated a little closer than he normally would, but they were _really_ running late. He straightened his shirt before striding up to the front door and knocking. It was opened a second later by a tall, thin man with black hair.

"Bonjour. Puis-je vous aider?" [Hello. Can I help you?]

Bridget frowned. Wonderful, he was French. This was going to be fun. She'd only done a semester of French. Maybe James--

"Oui," James replied. "Je cherche Jordan LeKauf. Je m'apelle James Potter." [Yes. I'm looking for Jordan LeKauf. My name is James Potter.]

"Ah!" Jordan's face lit up. "Oui, oui. Et mademoiselle?" [Yes, yes. And the girl?]

"Je m'apelle Brigitte," she responded, ignoring both James's shocked look and the pleased one from Jordan. [My name is Bridget.]

He grinned at her and bent down, kissing her knuckles. "Enchante. Parlez-vous Francais, ma belle?" [Enchanted. Do you speak French, beautiful?]

"Juste un petit peu." [Just a little.]

"A shame. Your accent is parfaite. Viens avec moi!" [Perfect. Follow me.]

The man turned around, walking back into the house without a glance backwards. Bridget exchanged a look with James. He shrugged and gestured for her to go first. Eh, whatever. At least he was interesting.

* * *

It was impossible, wasn't it? Could it really be August 31? It seemed like only yesterday, the girls were waking up to go to the beach; now, this big house felt like home. This time felt like home. Kagumi was afraid to leave it; she had a bad feeling that it would be the last time she'd see it for a long while.

But since the Hogwarts Express was leaving in two days, the group decided that perhaps it was time to begin gathering their scattered belongings. Kagumi simply _could not _believe how things had a tendency to wander off. It seemed, that in the two and a half months that they'd been in Potter Mansion, their belonging had suffered a displacement curse. Sirius and James ran back and forth, running from room to room looking for their things; Remus and Peter found other things to do, since they were already packed. Mostly they were helping the girls Summon things that couldn't be found manually.

Kagumi's trunk was open in her borrowed room, and she was throwing things into it haphazardly, when she noticed something slightly amiss. There was no sounds coming from her trunk. Hand still clutching the CD player that Cordan had been crazy enough to send her for her birthday, she turned around and gave a dismayed sigh: her trunk was completely empty.

Jet came whirling into the bedroom just as Kagumi slammed the trunk lid down. "Is your trunk--" they asked at the same time, then both girls nodded. "Mine's empty," Kagumi said.

"Mine too," Bridget said. "Do you think maybe our stuff didn't transfer?"

"No way. I've been throwing stuff into it all day. But there are no sounds coming from it."

"Maybe Raminus or Cordan did something weird to the trunks?" Jet asked, nibbling on her lower lip.

Kagumi thought long and hard about the two men who claimed to be their family, and where exactly they'd put them. "I think I... I have a theory. If I fall in, go running for help." Kagumi opened her trunk, took a deep breath and plunged her hand into the shadowed bottom, feeling nothing but air. Concentrating, she imagined what she needed.

* * *

"I _told _you so," Raminus held his hand out for his money, which Cordan grumpily handed over. (Never you mind that dead people weren't supposed to have money. What else would they bet with? After all, they'd already tried popcorn, kippers, packets of cocoa and socks. None of it had the same symbolism as actual _money_.)

"What's going on, boys?" Rowena asked, passing by their little 'office.' Today, seeing as everyone knew what they'd done, they just took to leaving the door open. It saved on a lot of broken doors, when the two of them got into an argument.

"Oh, Cor's mad because I conned him out of five Galleons." Raminus gave her a blinding smile, and Rowena's heart clenched for just a moment; he looked so very much like Salazar.

"And how did you do that?" Rowena's tone was that of someone who wanted to know the answer, but at the same time, was afraid to find out the answer.

"I bet him that Kagumi would be the first to find out the secret of the trunks, and he said it would be Brainy Bridget. And it was Kagumi." Raminus smiled smugly, knowing full well that Cordan was likely to instigate violence soon.

"And what secret are you speaking of?"

"Well, we were inspired by the Room of Requirement. So we tied a similar Calling Spell between the Trunks and anything the girls had ever truly owned. So Kagumi's sticking her hand into her trunk, wanting to find her favorite pair of shoes, and she'll pull them out." Cordan pointed to the Mirror, which Godric had grudgingly given them only a little while ago. 'To keep them from running out the Sieve,' he'd said.

"Oh," was all Rowena could think of. She bade them good day and turned to find Maura coming down the hall from the Mirror Walk. (Which is where all of the failed universes were kept. The ones in progress are either still observed or else kept in each person or group's place of work.) With a quick gesture, Rowena told Maura to come talk to her.

"What did he do now?" Maura asked, with the air of a put upon mother.

"Have you ever listened to their ideas?" Rowena asked.

"Of course. Why?"

"Well..." Rowena Ravenclaw hesitated, biting her lip. "They're actually quite brilliant."

* * *

"Always the tone of surprise," Raminus grumbled, handing the five coins back over to Cordan. "Always."

* * *

Kagumi's hand came back clutched around the strings of her favorite shoes, which she'd thrown in yesterday. "I was right," she said breathlessly.

"What?"

"When you stick your hand into your trunk, it works a little like the Room of Requirement. It'll give you what you need. Apparently." Kagumi held up the shoes as proof.

"Nifty." Bridget was about to go try out her own trunk, when an infuriated yell came up the stairs.

"SIRIUS VALENTINE BLACK!"

Sirius came dashing up the stairs, dodging James's hex on the way. His cheeks were flushed, and eyes sparkling as James ascended the stairs in his normal angry-dragon impression. Sirius ran down and James chased after him, covered in pink sequins. Very nearly unfazed, the two girls watched the spectacle unfolding on the landing.

"He's oddly..." Bridget gestured vaguely at James with one hand, "sparkly." She looked at Kagumi, who shrugged.

"I've stopped asking."

"I suspect it has something to do with the Niffler that Sirius threatened James with once," Bridget said. Kagumi sighed, stashing her wand in her right pocket, and started to walk out the door.

"Yes, I suppose we should go see if we can help. Or at least get a better view." The two girls shared a grin as Sirius dashed past them again, almost knocking Bridget over. James gave a half-strangled yell, and charged, only to have Sirius cast a Shield Charm right in his way; the cross-eyed look was enough to make Bridget burst into helpless laughter.

Once outside, they found Peter laughing so hard he was crying. Remus was trying not to laugh as Sirius was chased by James, who was in turn chased by a large, furry, dog-like animal. Kagumi slapped one hand over her mouth to try to keep the giggles in as James was pounced on by the Niffler.

"Help!"

"I can't," Peter gasped. "I'm laughing too hard."

* * *

Bridget stared at the parchment, nervously tapping her quill against the desk. It was done. She'd already gotten the edits back from Mr. Longbottom (who was, surprisingly, taking a personal interest in the pieces) and this was the final version. Well, it was the final version of the introduction and Corrie's piece-- Bridget still had to do the edits for Ms. Bulle's part and write the other three (four if they could convince Remus after the first release) and the conclusion-- but the _finality _of it all still made her nervous.

What if it wasn't good enough? What if the whole thing backfired and she made everything worse? What if she _sucked? _She'd never _really _written anything of this magnitude for a nationally run paper, after all. Shouldn't a more experienced, _better _writer be doing it?

"Bridget? You okay, love?" She nodded shortly, almost completely ignoring Sirius as he sat across from her. "You're, um, you're fidgeting. Are you sure?"

Here goes nothing. Bridget took a deep breath, pushed the parchments towards him and continued twirling the quill between her fingers, deciding that deep breathing was the best way to deal with the oncoming anxiety attack she could feel coming. Sirius's lips turned down into an even more concerned frown (she was normally _not _this quiet-- ever) and he picked it up. His eyes shot up to her face when he realized what he was reading. James, after all, had been the only one who'd helped her with any writing, and she claimed that was because he'd already read a second draft, so why not help with the rest? Sirius had been banned from reading anything in a very forceful tone with only an apologetic shrug from his best friend; he was pretty sure she wasn't joking about that hex she'd learned from Lily and wasn't going to risk it. But now...

Bugger it all. This was better than he had imagined (they really should learn to take her for her word), and it could work. He'd been skeptical at first, but this was good enough to sway some of the fence-straddlers and, possibly, push others over the fence completely. If the rest was as good as this was then Longbottom's da probably already had a place set aside for Bridget when she finished Hogwarts.

"How bad is it?" she asked in a strained whisper.

"Um." She was looking at him so earnestly-- big brown eyes wide and worried-- that he was finding it hard to say something, the right thing. "Wow."

Bridget winced as if he had physically hit her. "That bad?"

"No. It's that good."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Alright, so there it is, the newest installment of our pride and joy. We love our Marauders and our fans, and all the rest. Show us how you love us by reviewing.

Also, if you guys have any ideas, we'll be glad to listen to them.

**Gumi's Shameless Plug:** Oh, guys. Um...I don't know if I've ever mentioned, but I'm a poet as well as an actual writer. First off, I'm working on an original series. Like, out of the blue, truly original book series. If you know of any publishing sites that are free feel free to tell me. Also, I write poetry, and would like some nonbiased opinions. Anyone game?


	16. Nerves and Swerves

_**Disclaimer:**__ Neither of us own anything related to Harry Potter other than what we've bought, and the ideas we come up with. Original characters and most of the situations present, however, we do own, so hands off!_

Chapter 15:

Nerves and Swerves

"There is nothing for a case of nerves like a case of beer." - Joan Goldstein.

It was the day the Hogwarts Express would leave Platform 9 and 3/4's.

People inexperienced in such events would have called the morning of September first at the Potter Manor complete chaos. Bridget, however, with her two teenaged brothers and teenaged cousin, was used to such mornings and preferred to call it controlled chaos-- mostly controlled, at any rate. After all, Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Lupin knew exactly where everything and everyone was; it was the boys who were completely confused.

After waiting a half-hour outside (she had packed the night before), sitting on her trunk with a book in hand, Bridget was starting to feel the anxiety of the day creep up on her. She hadn't told anyone-- including Gumi-- but situations like being one of only two new students over the age of eleven at a deplorably small, tight-knit school was likely to give the girl a panic attack. She didn't like being the center of attention with a bunch of strangers; she wasn't too fond of meeting strangers, either, no matter how good she was at faking it. Bridget closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from hyperventilating.

"Bridget?"

She jumped, falling off her trunk and onto her back. Well, at least she wasn't panicking anymore. "Um, hi, Peter."

The boy peered down at her before helping her onto her feet. She fidgeted nervously with her book and the hem of her school shirt (which was somehow still untucked, despite the three times she'd tucked it in since dressing that morning). "Are you all right, Jet?"

"Fine. I am perfectly fine." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything, and, possibly worst of all, she didn't even seem to notice.

"Uh-huh." Peter shot her a concerned glance and promptly turned back towards the house. "PRONGS! GET YOUR ARSE OUT HERE!"

_"Peter!" _Mrs. Potter scolded from the doorway where she was directing traffic. She gracefully stepped out of the way as James came barreling through. "Language, please."

"Sorry, Mrs. P."

"Sorry, Mum," James added, pulling on his school blazer.

Mrs. Potter gave him a suspicious look. "What are you sorry for, James?"

"It was all Sirius's idea. I swear I... didn't." James's ears turned red as he realized that his mother had no idea what he was talking about. "I mean... um... I'm sorry for being a blight on your wondrous and otherwise enjoyable life. I am a horrible, horrible son." There was a stony silence where Peter tried not to smile too widely. "I love you, Mum," he finished desperately, grinning with a calculated charm that worked on most people.

"I love you, too, James." He let out the breath he'd been holding. "But that doesn't mean you're off the hook. For _whatever _it is that you've done this time."

Mrs. Potter went back into the house, and James sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Bollocks. She's going to kill me."

"What'd you do?" Peter asked once James's mum was out of hearing range.

"Last night I accidentally--" James shook his head. "No matter now, what was it you wanted, Pete?" He finally looked over at his friend, and noticed Bridget hovering uncertainly behind Peter, which hadn't happened since, well, ever. "Are you all right, Jet?"

She gave him a small smile probably meant to reassure him, but it was so unlike her usual one that it just made him more worried. "I'm fine. I am perfectly fine."

"Uh-huh."

Of course, Peter found it more worrying that she hadn't noticed that he and James had both asked her the exact same thing and she'd responded the same way. At least it gave him an example to help him explain his worries to James. He pulled the boy to the side. "I think she's nervous."

"Bridget? About _school?_" he asked incredulously, eyebrows disappearing under his fringe of unruly black hair. "There has to be something else. She could probably take N.E.W.T.s _now _and pass." He frowned thoughtfully to himself. "Of course, so could I."

"Focus. This isn't about you and that's not the what I mean." Peter sighed, trying to figure out how to explain nerves to someone who _never got them. _Luckily-- he still had no idea what to say-- he was saved by Bridget tripping over her own trunk. Again.

The two boys rushed over to her and James picked her up, placing her back on her feet. There was a moment of awkward silence where she would normally make some off-handed comment about not being able to walk properly before Bridget latched onto James, burying her face in his shirt. She was shaking. Badly. James wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her another concerned look before nodding at Peter, acknowledging that the other boy was probably right. There was _something _wrong.

"What has you so nervous, love?" he asked, bending down so he was closer to her level.

Bridget pulled back, although she was still clutching his shirt with a white-knuckled grip. "I, um, I don't like people." She flushed red. "I mean, I don't like _meeting _people. A lot of them. All at once. I've had panic attacks because of less before. And now..." The blood drained from her face, and her eyes got incredibly wide. "Hogwarts is so _big."_

"Right," James said, unsure as to how to respond. Hogwarts really wasn't all that big. "Why don't you wait in the car? I'll be right back."

He should probably get Sirius, who was with Remus helping Kagumi look for something she'd misplaced (Sirius had probably hidden it and forgotten where he'd put it, but James wasn't going to be the one to tell her that; although the results could have potential amusement...). He glanced back down: Bridget had her face buried in his shirt once again and she was probably wrinkling his blazer, but that wasn't important. He wasn't sure he _could _make her let go; he certainly didn't have the heart to. He exchanged a look with Peter, who shrugged and caught the sound of Sirius getting smacked. It seemed that Kagumi had indeed discovered that he'd hidden something from her.

"I can get the rest of your stuff, Prongs," Peter suggested. He was thinking along the same lines as James. Besides, having _Sirius _there was likely to make everything worse, as good as James's intentions were. Peter wasn't too sure what had happened between the two of them, but she'd been jumpy around him and Sirius had taken to _preening_ when she was around; there was no other word for it. "You can put her trunk in the boot and wait here. I'll tell your dad." As Peter stepped closer, he muttered to James. "I think she meant big in the sense that there's tons of people she doesn't know, Prongs."

James stared after his friend, who came back in sight a moment later hauling a trunk that was taller than he was. Although a funny sight, James was preoccupied by the shaking girl in his arms; he wasn't sure how to calm nerves, since to his knowledge he'd never really had them, but he'd do his best.

* * *

"Sirius, love-- Sirius-- SIRIUS, SLOW DOWN THE CAR!"

Vivian Potter hung onto the seatbelt for dear life, in the passenger seat of the car. Kagumi was laughing, her arms thrown around the back of the driving seat, where Sirius Black rested one hand on the wheel and the other dangled out the window carelessly; she actually seemed to enjoy the recklessly fast driving (Mrs. Potter had caught a glimpse at the speedometer at one point and nearly fainted; they were doing well over seventy kilometers an hour on the way into London). Remus cringed as the line of traffic got closer and Sirius showed no signs of stopping.

"Sirius!" Vivian cried out, shielding her eyes; the impending crash she was so afraid of never happened.

"Calm down, Mrs. P. I know what I'm doing," Sirius said coolly, as the front end of their car just barely missed another car; from the dark blue color, and the rude gesture hanging out the passenger window, it was James's car. Sirius returned the gesture, and Remus and Kagumi rolled their eyes as one. Their wry look met over the two owl cages and Remus looked away first, unsure of what he was interpreting in her gaze. Kagumi smiled in a self-satisfied sort of way, her bangs whipping frantically in the fierce wind as Sirius mashed the gas again. Mrs. Potter gave a little groan and hid her face in her hands.

Remus checked his pocket watch, which he'd received that March as his coming-of-age gift: it was gold, etched with the picture of a violin, and the bow and handle of the instrument were inlaid with beautiful golden-oak. "Padfoot, it's almost eleven. The train leaves _at_ eleven."

"Moons, really now, you think I don't know that?" Sirius flashed a grin over his shoulder at his friend, and Kagumi grinned broadly as the world titled sharply; she distinctly felt the inertia carry the car onto two wheels as their ride skidded into a parking spot perfectly. "No worries. We're here."

"Sirius Valentine Black, I am going to kill you one day," Mrs. Potter muttered as she shakily got out of the car. "And I am never letting you drive again."

"Well, Mrs. P, you did say that driving in the middle of downtown London scared you," Sirius said reasonably, hauling three trunks from, well, from the trunk.

"Well that's changed. Now it's _your_ driving that scares me."

Laughing, Kagumi got out, her bangs sticking every which way, and took hers from him. "That…was wild," she said, eyes bright and shining with adrenalin and excitement; it was a similar look to the one she wore when flying.

Remus turned to the smiling girl, extending one hand. "Do you need any help-- oh."

Remus stared as the girl single-handedly pulled her trunk and held the owl cage that held Pueo in her other hand, striding for all the world as if she knew where she was going. Remus and Sirius shared a glance, and both chalked it up to "Things That Weren't as They Seemed."

Shrugging, the boys took off after the girl, ready to catch up with James, Peter and Bridget, who'd ridden with Mr. Potter. _He'd_ done the smart thing and refused to let James drive. Mrs. Potter threw her arms around her husband.

"Warwick, I love you." She said loud enough for the teenagers to hear. Sirius rolled his eyes. "And I will never criticize your driving ever again."

* * *

This year was different, as much as his parents attempted to ignore the fact. His brother was a seventh year-- the year he was supposed to officially become the Black Heir-- and it was very obvious that he wasn't with them. Regulus Black frowned, leaning against a wall with an polished grace bred into him, and surveyed the crowd for new prosp-- well. He examined the girl through his fringe, taking in her traditionally styled hair, the Malkin's-tailored uniform, and the aristocratic lines of her shoulders and back. Perfect.

"Pardon me," he said smoothly, giving her a grin he'd learned from years of following his brother. "Do you need assistance?"

Bridget turned towards the almost familiar voice, wondering if she was going to get another surp-- oh my. This boy looked _freakishly _like Sirius. They had the same traditionally handsome features, and he had a build that was only slightly thinner than Sirius's with eyes that were blue rather than gray. Bugger it all, she had horrid luck.

Regulus hoped that he was the first to meet whoever this new girl was-- at least he hadn't seen Sirius or any of his Gryffindor friends around. "No, thank you," she said with a small, polite smile that seemed to actually be genuine. Then again, he was rather distracted by her large, almond-shaped eyes. "I'm waiting for a friend." That seemed like a neutral enough thing to say. Many people had friends that weren't related to Regulus Black or named Potter.

"Ah, well, allow me to introduce myself. I am Regulus Black." There was a spark of recognition in her face and her lips twitched into a slightly wider smile. Good, she'd heard of him... or his family. Either way she hadn't run off in a self-righteous Gryffindor-ish huff. "Slytherin."

"Bridget Griffins," she responded. There was an odd drawl to her voice, a hint of a Yankee accent. He wasn't too well informed of their hierarchy-- Mother was so wary of the colonials-- but Griffins was definitely one of their more prominent pureblood names. "I'm afraid I haven't been Sorted yet."

"Regulus?" an imperious voice asked from behind him. His mother studied Bridget with a sweeping look that would make most girls wither, but she looked steadily back with a polite expression.

"Mother, may I introduce Bridget Griffins. She's a new student." His mother's eyebrow arched up-- transfer students weren't often accepted; she must be brilliant or extremely well connected. Or both. "Miss Griffins, this is my mother, Walburga Black."

She opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Potter. He strode up behind her, wrapped an arm around her waist, and glared at Regulus. Bridget seemed to melt gratefully into Potter's side; it seemed the Potter heir had found a pureblood to moon over rather than the red-haired Muggleborn.

"Black," Potter said coldly, acting as if Regulus had stolen _his _only brother rather than the other way around. He nodded respectfully at Regulus's mother, although it looked painful. "Madame Black."

"Potter," Regulus replied as his mother barely returned the nod. It was an unfortunate necessity; Potter was still the heir to one of the most powerful and pure families in Great Britain. Someday they might need his lineage, so for now they conceded with the barest of pleasantries.

"I'm afraid I must steal away Bridget." First name, they knew each other; the girl hadn't been pawned off on Potter because of some unfortunate family connection. "I'll give Sirius your regards."

* * *

Bridget resisted the urge to hit James. He could be such a _jerk _sometimes. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," he said firmly, not even looking at her. He was treating her more like a small child that needed to be told what to do rather than an almost-grown woman who could think through things herself. It was quite annoying.

"Oh, _please,_" she drawled. The anxiety was not making her mood any better; she was _much _more likely to snap at people when stressed.

James spun her around, leaning down close to her with an expression that was so serious and adult that it frightened her. "Bridget, they may be related to Sirius, but Regulus and Walburga Black are _nothing _like him." Well... that wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't like she could _tell _him. "They are _Blacks _through and through. Pureblood maniacs who think people like Lily don't deserve to go to Hogwarts, who support insane fanatics like Voldemort. I guarantee you that Regulus will join the Death Eaters if he hasn't already." He was right about that, at least. "And Walburga disowned her eldest son for doing nothing more than what was right, for defending innocent people. I want you to stay away from them because it's not safe, not because I'm being prejudiced." Wow, James was a lot more insightful than she'd given him credit for; she hadn't even mentioned that. "Besides, it would kill Sirius. He's still not over what his mother did."

* * *

The Marauders and Kagumi sat in their compartment, talking about the events from a couple of weeks before. They'd long since settled in with goodies, snacks and enough intellect to keep themselves amused during the long train ride. Bridget had disappeared for a while, but the others stayed right where they were, discussing different things; James was a little surprised at how much the girls' presence over the summer had opened Peter up.

The topics of discussion were as wide and varied as the occupants themselves, ranging from politics to mischief-making; the current discussion centered on Remus's attack, and he'd sheepishly admitted what had gone through his head.

"Moony, come on. How could you think that?" Sirius asked, his arm a comfortable anchor around both Kagumi and Remus. Remus shrugged, red-faced.

"You actually thought we'd just leave you with them?" Peter asked, his blue eyes narrowing in hurt.

"Moons, seriously," James said, pelting his friend with a Chocolate Frog box; Remus simply opened his mouth and popped the Frog in his mouth and grinned around the kicking legs.

"Disgusting. That's my line," Sirius tossed an arrogant sniff, and for a split second, he looked so much like the family he despised. "Now, then, Mr. Lupin, Siriusly, you wouldn't believe us anyway. Not in that state."

"I blame the kriffing silver paint," Gumi added, her head tilted back against Sirius's arm, eyes closed and occasionally popping a piece of Drooble's Best. "It bloody well messed with his sanity."

"What sanity?" came three voices, and the entire group laughed as Peter dug around in his trunk for the Exploding Snap deck. It was only a matter of time, after all, before someone got bored and something exploded; might as well be something designed for it.

"So," a voice drawled from the door. Everyone turned to look, and saw a slim, black haired boy leaning against the doorframe with an effortless grace that seemed oddly familiar... "Here you are, Brother."

"Reggie!" Sirius said, all smiles; only Kagumi and Remus were able to feel his body tense up. "Slumming it with us blood traitors? How's Mummy?"

"Better, now that you're not around," he snarled. From the look on the boy's handsome face (or, well, it would have been handsome had he not been glaring painful death at his brother), he was about to start in on another insult when a femininely cleared throat whipped his head around.

Kagumi slowly slid her arm around from Sirius and noticed Regulus's eyes following every movement; she was careful to make it seem more sensuous than it was. Since the younger Black seemed desperate to believe the worst of his brother, perhaps a show was called for. Kagumi felt what she called her Slytherin Face slide on, and the arrogance seeped from her every pore; ignoring how it felt too natural for her tastes, she smirked purposely.

"Well, well," Regulus's eyes followed her long legs as they uncrossed and she stood. "Who are you?" he asked. "My brother's newest plaything?"

"It's no concern of yours whether I am or not," she replied coolly, eyes taking him in. Kagumi arched her back for one second, and he noticed her posture. "Kagumi Pheonix." Regulus took her halfway extended hand and kissed the air above it; the boys watched with a little awe as she inclined her head, one leg stretching out behind her at the same moment, like a choreographed set dance. He didn't let go of her hand, and didn't seem too worried about it as she slid it up to rest directly at his breastbone, the gesture looking far too casual and sensual for any of the four Gryffindors' peace of mind.

"I don't recall any Pheonixes in Britain."

"Pureblooded American-Irish. You're safe with me, _Reggie_," the insult on the word was plain. "Let's see." Her eyes trailed over him appraisingly. "You must be a Black. Not that I'm insulting you, of course-- I have the greatest respect for your incredible family tree, _burc'ya_-- but I was spending time with Sirius. If you want my attention," she grinned, gently backing him out the door with one hand on his chest; every movement of her hips somehow managed to swirl the uniform skirt enough to draw attention, "you'll have to wait your turn like a good boy."

And with that, she left the boy fuming in the hall as she shut and magically locked the door, then draped herself elegantly over Sirius's lap; his arms went around her mechanically, and he found himself reappraising the girl he'd just seen with the girl who'd quickly won a piece of his heart over the summer. They were two totally different people.

"What was that?" he asked.

"That," she yawned lightly, winking at James, whose mouth hung open, "was my Slytherin Effect. What do you think?"

"I think you shut him up for a while," Jams said. Peter nodded, carefully taking stock of Kagumi's body language as she rose and plopped herself in between Sirius and Remus. She seemed for all the world like their friend from the summer, but with a lingering trace of that unnerving haughtiness.

"Now," she said brightly when Regulus had left the hall, "what were we discussing?"

"My kidnapping." Remus watched her, seeing a new side and one that reminded him too much of Sirius's Cousins. At least it was Andromeda rather than Narcissa or Bellatrix. Peter flicked his blue eyes towards her every now and again as he dealt out cards.

"Bridget calls it your Wolfnapping," James remembered suddenly. At the mention of Bridget's name, Sirius grinned in the same self-satisfied way he had as when he'd returned from the trolley.

"Wolfnapping?" Remus muttered, horrified. "Merlin... Regardless, I never saw it coming. I mean, I knew of Anti-Lycanthrope groups around, but thought I'd covered my tracks better than that. It's odd, like someone knows."

Kagumi sat squashed between Sirius and Remus, stunned from the force of what she'd just realized. _Intended or not, we've managed to change things. Remus just said it himself and we put him in danger because we weren't prepared for what could happen._ Suddenly short of breath, feeling so very out of place, she flung the door of the compartment open and set out in search of Jet. This revelation called for some contingency plans.

* * *

"There's something you should know, Jet," Kagumi said to her distracted friend. She was staring out the window intently, as though the passing countryside had the answers both girls were looking for. Brow furrowed, Kagumi crossed her arms, and drew up her courage again.

"Gumi, really, what is it now?" Bridget asked.

She sounded a bit tired, and probably wasn't paying much attention to her, concentrated as she was on the fact that she'd just passed Sirius in the narrow hall. He had grinned at her in a way that made her stomach clench and cheeks heat up, bringing to mind all of the small things he'd tried in their final days of summer. It had been... sweet in an odd, fumbling way; Sirius obviously didn't usually, well, _court _the girls he was after.

"Jet, I think that we should face..." Kagumi cleared her throat nervously; the girl's reaction to this was not going to be good, especially after that little tizzy they'd gotten into their first few nights here. "We need to face the fact that since we arrived-- Jet, are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, 'course I am," she mumbled in a decidedly distracted manner. But Bridget's eyes were closed, and her face was pinched in a way that reminded Gumi of that night in the guest bedroom, when she'd had to face her own growing attraction-- whether it was grudging or willing-- to Remus. It clicked then, the way Sirius had been grinning when he returned from tracking down the trolley witch with an almost tentative offer of sweets (he'd tossed another grin, and a pumpkin pasty to Gumi, but the grin hadn't been the same... thankfully) and she sighed.

"That's why I said that James Potter just ran starkers down the hall right?" Kagumi deadpanned.

"Yeah, I'm te-- wait, he _what? _I _told _him not to piss off Lily today." Jet's eyes swung over to her friend, who was leaning against the door of the very last compartment with her arms folded, frowning tightly. The look of shock was almost enough to soothe Kagumi's irritation...almost.

"Bridget, if you don't want to talk to me right now, then say as much. But don't ignore me just to think about darling Sirius. He's not going anywhere, trust me. He's taken a shine to you the way that James did to Lily."

"Kagumi, I'm sorry, I'm just a little distracted. Besides, he's not darl--" Jet stopped at the dark look on Gumi's petite face, almost visibly drawing backwards.

"Nevermind then. Wouldn't want to 'distract' you..." With a bit of excessive force, Kagumi left the compartment, shutting the door so hard that the pane of glass cracked in three different ways.

Crap.

Bridget sighed deeply, shaking her head. She couldn't face Sirius, couldn't face Gumi, and the other Marauders were playing Exploding Snap and eating some of the sweets that Sirius's arms had been laden with. She sank against the wall, eyes closed tightly, and her hands began to shake. She was starting to panic, and it wouldn't do to freak out alone on a train full of strangers. She took several, supposedly calming deep breaths, trying to center herself, and fled to a place where she knew she would be left alone-- the girls' bathroom. Bugger, she wasn't entirely sure what to do at this point, but hiding seemed to be a good idea for now, until she got her courage back, at least.

* * *

Bridget was nervous. She'd never been very good at any sort of girly, emotional heart-to-heart and she really wasn't sure how to go about it. Still, she already knew what Gumi thought about the situation, and she really did need a second opinion. The worst part was that things had been _fine_, especially in light of the article set to come out that very day, but then Sirius had gotten... carried away. He'd picked her up and swung her around and... well, he had very nice eyes. He was hard to resist; it just wasn't _fair._

She groaned and let her head fall in her hands. Currently hiding away in the train's bathroom, it wouldn't be very long before someone was sent to see if she was okay, and she knew exactly who would volunteer. Bridget wasn't too thrilled about the prospect, as she'd been effectively avoiding being left alone with him for the rest of summer holidays, and all for one, simple reason.

Sirius had kissed her. Although, to be fair, it was entirely possible she'd been just as much at fault; it's not like she'd turned away or anything.

And it was the root of all of her problems. Well, all of her problems with Sirius, the whole "suddenly transitioning dimensions because two extradimensional beings, possibly extraterrestrials decided that they were bored" thing couldn't be traced back to him. She pictured herself clinging to him that night in Remus's room, thought of the way his smirk had felt against her lips, and how he'd tasted of mint, and-- She cut herself off from that line of thought, blushing furiously. Again.

God, it would be so much easier if she didn't turn bright red whenever she even _thought _about it. How was she supposed to _talk_ about it? Frankly, she just didn't know what to do. Bridget had never been in this sort of situation before and she enjoyed spending time with all of the Marauders (even, surprisingly, Peter); she didn't want to screw this up for a spur of the moment, short lived romance with a boy notorious for breaking hearts. The entire situation made her think of a James and Lily type of ordeal.

_That's it._ Bridget stood up, opening the door and cautiously sticking her head out. She needed to find Lily, and it would be best if she did so before anyone else found her. Namely Sirius, maybe James if he... well... started paying attention to anyone besides Lily. And she knew that Gumi was rather upset with her at the moment, (she'd never taken well to being ignored or shut out-- a bad flaw in her family-- and Bridget had enough trouble merely trying to open up) so that ruled her out as well; besides, the Irish girl was currently entertaining the other Marauders anyway.

"Severus, I don't want to hear it." Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Bridget's lips quirked into an amused smirk. How appropriate. Bridget made her way closer to the compartment door, hand hovering uncertainly over the door as she wondered whether she should interrupt or not.

"Lily, I said I was sorry. What more do you want?"

"I don't want your apologies until you can prove yourself to me again. Don't ever tell me you're sorry unless you really mean it, not just because you don't want to lose me. I don't even know you anymore." Lily's voice took a sad turn. "I'm sorry, Sev. I can't be friends with someone who agrees with the crap coming out of Voldemor—"

"Do _not_ speak his name."

"See? You're afraid and you refuse to fight for what's right." A weary sigh followed the statement and Bridget could picture Lily's face crumpling. This was getting awkward. "Leave me alone."

She had been feeling a little guilty for eavesdropping, but now Bridget could tell that Lily wanted this conversation to end as much as she did. She opened the compartment door, ready to pretend she had just heard Lily's voice.

"Sorry, Lily, but can I speak with you?" she asked politely.

Lily whirled around, eyes widening. "Oh, Bridget. You startled me."

"Sorry. I could really use another girl to talk to right now," Bridget shrugged casually. "I already know what Gumi thinks, but I also know that Gumi is, for all her bluster, a horrendous romantic at heart. At times I think she would rather play matchmaker than Quidditch."

"All right, Bridget. I'll be done in a minute." Lily's lips quirked at the image of the tomboyish Gumi swooning with delight as one of her plans paid off.

"No matter, I'm leaving now," the male voice came from behind Lily. A boy stepped from the corner of the compartment towards the door and Bridget could only stare. For once, the descriptions of the Muggle Potter series were startlingly accurate: Snape really had a hooked nose. His skin _was _a bit oily, but that was more likely from the horrors of adolescence and hormones than anything else. And his hair...

Black eyes seemed unsurprised to see Bridget, so she stared right back. "Would you move, girl?" he commanded. Bridget immediately felt herself going on the defensive, a single eyebrow arching regally (although she'd never admit it).

"That was polite," she replied reflexively. "Could you ask nicer?"

"If you were worth the effort, perhaps. Now move."

Bridget crossed her arms, and, had Gumi been in the little compartment, she could have told Severus Snape that her friend's stance meant that she wasn't moving until she had her way. "Not until you say please. You're lucky I'm not holding out for an apology for calling me 'girl.' Normally I don't react as nicely."

Snape rolled his eyes and looked at Lily, who raised empty hands to proclaim her innocence to the cabin. She wasn't going to get involved. To be honest, she wanted to see how Bridget would hold up against Severus; not many people stood up to him so brashly.

"Fine. _Please_ move." Every syllable sounded as if it were being wrenched from him with the Cruciatus, but he had said please. Bridget gave him a bright smile that momentarily stunned him-- merely because it was so different from the unamused glare she'd been gracing him with previously-- before moving to the side and shutting the door behind him.

Lily smiled; this girl had potential. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

* * *

Sirius stared after her in a slight state of shock, wondering where he had gone wrong. That… that had never happened before. Bridget had stood there, cheeks tinted a becoming shade of pink the entire time, and refusing to meet his eyes until the very end when she told him, _Sirius Black-- _after a lot of hedging and stumbling-- that she'd prefer to just be friends.

"Wow. She's gone up a notch in my books," a familiar, similarly shocked sounding voice said from his right. "I don't think I've ever heard of that happening before."

"It hasn't," a second familiar voice said.

"She should be given an Order of Merlin; no one's ever been able to shut Padfoot up for this long."

Finally, Sirius snapped out of it and turned to glare at his three best friends. Then he noticed that they looked just as surprised as he was. He sighed.

"Don't worry about it, Padfoot," James said, slapping him on the shoulder in what was probably supposed to be a bracing way. "That means she's one of a kind, worth the wait. Bridget's a smart girl; she'll come around in time, like Evans."

This would normally warrant some sort of disbelieving, mocking statement, especially since the Head Girl had _not _"come around," but it was only met with silence.

"You know," said Remus thoughtfully, "I actually think Lily might be warming up to him." At the incredulous looks, Remus shrugged. "Well, she certainly hasn't been _as_ hostile or violent towards him. So there's... progress."

James's face lit up, and they were able to move on to slightly better conversation topics. Sirius, however, drifted off on his own, still baffled. The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. She certainly hadn't minded when he'd done the deed; in fact, she had seemed as enthusiastic as he'd been, even if she had been a little... innocent. So why, he wondered, ignoring his friends' looks, was she going shy now?

"Maybe it's because she doesn't like you that way." Peter suggested, leaning down. Sirius jumped only enough that his friends would notice, and glared darkly.

"Hey, don't give me that look. You were the one thinking out loud." Peter sat down beside his friend, aware that the other boys were watching as well. "It's a bad habit of yours."

"Or," Remus said after a moment, "it could be your reputation for being-- how should I say it?-- fickle." He nodded once, to himself. "That's about right. When a girl bores you, you move on."

"Moony has a point, Padfoot." James clapped his best friend on the shoulder. "You go through women the way a niffler goes through dirt. Always searching, never stopping, never slowing down." James stopped a moment, then laughed at something. "Reminds me of the time Kady got locked in the pantry and ate all the sugar as an elflet; Merlin, the way she ran around…" James trailed off, eyes bright at the fond memory.

"Well, we'll see who's laughing tonight," Sirius threatened. Then his gaze softened as he noticed Bridget stopping the trolley witch as she made her final rounds down the hall. "You know..."

"You're right," James answered the unspoken question. The two boys could practically read each other's minds and Remus and Peter didn't even try to keep up with it. Luckily, they also tended to explain themselves within seconds. It was probably a good thing that the two boys were Gryffindors, and therefore on the "Light" side of this coming war, because they'd make horrible and more than likely unsuccessful villains... or frighteningly good ones, now that Remus stopped to think about it. They would only be truly effective when on the same side. "We should do something special for the girls tonight. It's their first time to Hogwarts."

Remus gave himself over to the inevitable and shook his head. "As long as you don't get anyone piss drunk again. That debacle with the Hufflepuffs last year almost got us expelled." He sighed. "Again."

* * *

Professor Albus Dumbledore stood up, before the Sorting of this year's students. "This is weird, since when does he make announcements _before_ the feast?" Sirius hissed to James. Now James, who'd had his share of dumb moments (probably more), took a moment to arm himself with some patience. He'd learned a few things over the summer from the girls, like when to pick his battles. After all, smacking his best friend with the nearest thing (currently a tureen waiting to be filled) wasn't conducive to pleasant dinner conversation.

"Since there hasn't been a transfer student, let alone _two,_ in over three hundred years!"

"Right..." Sirius grinned sheepishly, and turned his attention back to the Headmaster. "Totally knew that."

"...And it gives me great pleasure this year, before the Sorting, to announce our good fortune in having two American Transfer Students. Miss. Pheonix is straight from Wild Mountain Magic Preserve on the East Coast and Miss Griffins has been schooled in her home in Hawaii; they will be Sorted with the first years. Professor McGonagall?" He gestured to a severe-looking woman in square spectacles who perched a ratty old hat on top of the stool. In a very surreal sort of way, the large rip near the brim opened and formed into lips of a sort; the Hat was preparing to sing.

"I bid thee greetings with my yearly song.

Though brought forth to Sort, I must first warn

Of where we be-- on the cusp of brewing fate--

And the danger of hate and friendships forsworn.

Gryffindor was boldest of them all.

He, born of fire and war-torn strife,

Chose those of honor and courage,

Determined souls, to whom to give new life.

Hufflepuff, the kindest, gentle soul,

Wished to give an earthy home

To children to whom loyalty was known;

Fair, hardworkers given no more need to roam.

Ravenclaw had hopes flying high as the wind

To teach those possessing sharpest wit,

And a desire to learn, to know

That destiny is theirs to be writ.

Slytherin, of lake and magic strong,

Selected to have in his hold,

The wry and the cunning, ambitious young ones,

To whom imparted secrets untold.

Remember the darkness to come, the shadows that fall.

Hogwarts' Heirs bid her children stand tall,

Be quick to defend her, not to divide

Let not this safe haven fall to foolish pride.

Unite in victory and in triumph,

But know the profound sorrow,

For the lives given gladly:

All for a better morrow."

After the halting, and unsure-sounding, applause, the first name was called, and more soon followed. Each House cheered for its newest members, or booed the newest rivals, and Kagumi smiled as she noticed Sirius and James hissing at the Slytherins. Though she had no problem with Slytherins herself, it was amusing to watch the boys; truly, they took Interhouse Prejudice to new heights.

Finally, the name came: "Griffins, Bridget!" Jet sighed and walked up to the stool, hesitantly putting the hat on her head and a sharp pain shot through her head. She could feel more than see memories and thoughts flashing through her mind and it was making her dizzy.

_I apologize. It is more challenging to Sort older students, and the methods I use must be more. . . intrusive._

"Yeah, sure, fine. Can we get to the point, then?" She shifted on the stool. "This isn't the most comfortable of seats and my head hurts." She knew that she was being irritable, but the Hat didn't seem to mind.

_Very well. _The Hat hummed, reminding Bridget of relatives who would look her up and down, sizing her up and appraising her worthiness. It wasn't a feeling she enjoyed.

_You would do well in Slytherin._

"What? No, I wouldn't," Bridget said, rather shocked at the implication. "I'd get annoyed with the lot and try to hurt someone. Besides, if I got Sorted there I have a nagging suspicion James and Sirius would disapprove."

_You are extremely loyal to those you care about,_ it continued, ignoring her side-comments.

"I just _met _them."

_And intelligent._

"I dunno, I've done some pretty stupid things, just ask my mother." With a grin, she added, "Or Gumi."

_But, I'm afraid there's only one place for you._

Bridget's eye's widened. She'd gotten distracted and now— "Don't you dare put me in Slytherin you—"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"I will tear you apart at the seams and no amount of thread or magic will ever be able to put— Gryffindor? Did you say Gryffindor?"

_Yes, Miss Griffins, now join your Housemates._

Still a little confused, she set the hat down and quietly walked off to the Gryffindor table, where the boys were cheering louder than anyone else.

She was bright red once she'd managed to find her seat between Remus and James and across from Sirius, looking smaller and younger than she had the entire time they'd known her. Much to Sirius's annoyance, she burrowed under James's arm, trying very hard to hide from the attention. If anything, it was bound to make things worse: everyone would either be shocked that the Marauders-- James, in particular-- were paying particular attention to any girl, let alone the new one, or-- and Sirius found this much more likely-- they'd find her bashful smile just as charming as he did.

"What's so great about an American?" a snotty boy, maybe a third year, muttered under his voice. To his bad luck, he happened to be sitting next to Sirius. His back went ramrod-straight, and he whirled around, and grabbed the boy. Remus and James jumped towards him, but the bench got in their way. By the time they'd disentangled themselves from each other and the three first years they'd knocked down, Bridget had reached across the table with her hand over Sirius's.

"It's fine. Let it go."

Sirius glanced at her and pulled the boy close enough so that everyone could hear his low, dangerous voice, but would be hard-pressed to understand what he said.

"Let me tell you something, Adams, that girl is one of the most amazing people I know," he growled before realizing that the Great Hall had gotten a bit too quiet. He could feel McGonagall's disapproving gaze from across the room and was afraid to see the disappointment on Bridget's face. Forcing a smile, he set the boy back down and watched as "Newton, Bevin" became a Ravenclaw.

The eyes boring into the back of his head seemed to get worse, so he turned around. There, standing in line, Kagumi shook her head and gave him the look she usually reserved for James or Remus. It was the look that said, "We'll talk about this later." He groaned. A Gumi lecture was not something he particularly wanted to endure right now, and getting drunk was sounding better and better. He whispered the idea to James, pausing the conversation when Kagumi's name was called.

* * *

She tried to move her right foot; it didn't work. Taking a deep, calming breath, she closed her eyes and opened them again. McGonagall began tapping her foot, and the whispers were getting louder by the second. Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, as if waiting to see what would happen.

A glance at the Gryffindor table caught her friends' eyes. Jet rolled her eyes and nodded towards the Hat while James and Sirius were busy whispering to each other, and Peter was crossing his fingers for something. But it was Remus's reaction that startled her into moving. He smiled, and gave her an almost sheepish Marauder Sign, one of the simpler ones: _**Good Luck.**_ She smiled right back, signed _**thanks **_and, with renewed confidence, stepped forward.

Finally, the brim of the musty hat fell across her eyes, and she knew what Harry had meant in the Potter series: it was rather unsettling to have one's memories examined. _Good Lord, how many difficult students must I Sort this year?_ The Hat sounded irritated, and Kagumi chuckled mentally, even as a sharp pain flashed behind her eyes.

_**I'm sorry.**_

_No, you're not, but I suppose in your shoes, I might find this amusing as well. Now be still and let me see where you belong._ Kagumi laughed in her head, even through the twinges, and relished the feeling she'd been waiting for years. _You've obviously been thinking about this since you read that first book, yes?_ At Kagumi's shocked silence, the Hat gave off a feeling of amusement. _Yes, I know that you and Miss Griffins are not from this world. It's all there, in your head, you know. The memories from your own time. In fact, those are mostly what I'm working from. _

_**Have you reached a verdict, Messer Hat? **_She dared to ask. She felt oddly giddy, and a bit lightheaded; briefly, she wondered if Sirius or James had slipped something into her Cauldron Cake on the train before remembering that she'd unwrapped it herself. Then she recalled that she'd felt something similar on successful pranks, and decided that it was just adrenalin. She firmly told her endorphin system where it could stick its mood swings.

_Oh yes, in fact I've reached four of them. Well, one with three other deciding factors._ The Hat really sounded rather put out. _You obviously know that you're loyal. Take the way you mother your friends, when you let down your guard enough to truly care about something. You're fair, for the most part, and practical, and know that no matter how unpleasant a task may be, if it needs to be done then it needs to be done. Also treatment to your brothers suggests that Hufflepuff would be a nice fit, but not quite the right one. _

_**And your second verdict?**_ Kagumi asked, having a sinking feeling as to where this was headed; her light mood began to rapidly evaporate and a gnawing sensation crept up on her.

_Well, you're rather brilliant. You and the Griffins girl are too smart for your own good, and you know it, even if she hasn't a clue, so there's also the possibility that Ravenclaw would suit you very well indeed._

_**And?**_ Kagumi prompted.

_You're ridiculously brave, very nearly reckless and incredibly stubborn. That could mean Gryffindor, you know._ Oddly enough, the Hat sounded as if it expected her to object.

_**...And that would be a bad thing?**_

_Not at all, really, but the place that you most belong, my dear, is in Slytherin._ Kagumi couldn't speak from horror. All right, so it wasn't terrible, but the thought of being away from those she'd come to care for so desperately prompted her to object, however politely she could. The Hat could feel her objection building. _Let me finish. You're not without ambition, even you can't deny that. You have a cooler view of life than many of your friends, and you understand that there are shadows within the light. That in order to achieve good, perhaps one must use darker methods than the preferred way. _Kagumi frowned, trying to view herself as the Hat was speaking. It made a certain amount of sense, but she wasn't exactly keen on blowing up her own ego, so she'd never really noticed anything until the Hat began pointing her attributes out.

_While you are intelligent, as I said when I suggested Ravenclaw, the way you show that intelligence is through cunning. You are, for lack of a better word, sly. You prefer artful solutions, even when they are explosions,_ the Hat was definitely amused at the memories of the various times something had gone boom in her life, _and you seek to protect not only yourself but others as well. Any unethical solution, such as what you sought the night the Lupin boy was kidnapped, you took upon yourself without thinking. You knew that you could handle doing what you thought had to be done, and didn't want anyone else's conscious burdened by that decision. And that personifies Slytherin house._

_**I beg to differ, but from what I've heard, the Slytherins these days don't see it that way.**_ Kagumi sighed mentally, aware of the growing whispers. Everyone's eyes were upon her, and it was a little intimidating. The professors, with the exception of Dumbledore, wore varying degrees of shocked expressions, and Kagumi could feel the heat rushing up to her forehead.

_Not all Slytherins are bad, these days, but perhaps I was wrong. You personify what Slytherin house _should _be, what it _was. _What it can be again, with someone to guide them._

_**So that someone should be me? Oh, that's cold. Now I feel guilty. Not that all Slytherins are bad, that's not what I meant, but I know the constraints of my own temper; truthfully, Mr. Hat, you really must want me expelled if you wanna put me in Snake City. You have **_**any **_**idea how many detentions I'd have from the first week alone?**_ The Hat was getting irritable again, and Kagumi wondered just how much time this was taking. McGonagall seemed to be holding a discussion via facial expression with Dumbledore, who had his hands clasped; Kagumi could see his expression, and suddenly wondered if the Headmaster was connected in some way with the Hat itself. She'd have to ask him eventually.

_Well, what do you suggest then? You'd make a mockery out of all the rest of the Houses, my dear, and obviously you don't want to go where you most belong, so I give up and wash my hands of it!_ Kagumi stuffed her knuckles in her mouth, and tried to stop the cheeky comment she could feel. She didn't succeed.

_**But you don't have hands...**_ The Sorting Hat sighed audibly, and McGonagall's eyebrows went up even more. She could feel the decision it was making, could feel the choice that it thought wasn't right, but it knew what she wanted.

_Fine! Off with you. _GRYFFINDOR_! It's obvious that that's where you want to be, if only to be with your friends._ Kagumi reached up to pull the Hat off her head, relieved. _Oh, and tell your 'brother' that I still haven't forgiven him for nicknaming me Batty Hatty,_ the voice whispered against her ears as she handed the hat to the Deputy Headmistress. Avoiding everyone's eyes, Kagumi sat next to Sirius and buried her face in his robes, missing Remus's sharp look.

Now, the entire table and most of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were looking at them in shock, as were two Slytherins with interests in the Gryffindor House. Both of the new girls had their faces hidden in the robes of two of the most well-known students in the school, who were always assumed to be insular and unwelcoming, if not unfriendly, to people outside their own group. The girls were mirror images of one another: Bridget on the one side with James, and Kagumi on the other with Sirius.

Both boys were focused on their respective girl, wrapping a protective arm around their shoulders and speaking in quiet, concerned voices, which left Remus and Peter to deflect the questioning and somewhat hostile looks. Peter shrugged at the table and turned back to his plate, making an effort to be seen as being nice to the girls. Just because they were friends previously didn't mean that they wouldn't be, but if the girls were seen as affectionate with _all _of them, it might help defuse some of the rumors that were bound to take root.

"Gumi, love, are you all right?" Sirius asked with concern; his friend trembled beneath his arm, and if she shook much harder, she'd be rattling his teeth.

"I'm okay, just a little disturbed." Her voice was a little throaty and deeper than normal, as it usually was when she first woke up, or when she was upset. The hands gripping his robes were a bit bloodless, and much paler than normal, a testimony to the amount of pressure she was exuding on the cloth.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, beginning to rub her back in soothing circles; he could feel the tension begin to bleed out of her at the soft affectionate touch and remembered what she'd said the day she'd made all those deliciously chocolaty brownies: _If you want to comfort me, affection works best_. She shook her head, which felt incredibly odd for him, as her nose was resting against his clavicle, leading to a curious rubbing sensation.

He tried not to react, but when she shook her head again he had to or burst. The shock value alone was enough to make her raise her head: Sirius had giggled like a girl. Brow furrowed, she stared. "You giggle? Like a girl, even."

"I'm a little ticklish. Back off." Finger raised threateningly, she grinned shakily. He shook his head, and settled his arm around her shoulders. "Well, if you want to talk, you know you can. I'll always listen."

She nodded, and leaned her head against him again. Sirius noticed her eyes close when the food began to appear, that Remus was glaring daggers at him. One hand, the one not around Gumi's shoulders, raised and Sirius used a Marauder sign: **Not my fault**.

Remus looked thoroughly disgruntled, and Sirius would've bet all the money in his Gringotts vault that he knew why, even if his friend didn't. And Sirius got to thinking, a little more seriously, and an idea came to mind. _Maybe it would help both of the girls if all of us shared our experiences with the Sorting Hat..._

"I will say this: it was close," Kagumi whispered, feeling mildly shaken; the familiar, comforting scent of Sirius was helping slowly but surely. She'd always wondered whether she would end up in Gryffindor or Slytherin, and now she knew. _Thank Merlin for the Marauders,_ she thought fervently, _or I would've been under the lake. Not that it would've killed me, but I really don't feel like stretching my patience after these past few months._

But now, as the Marauders gave her backslaps and hugs all around, she had a mystery. Half horrified, she watched Sirius fill his golden plate heaping, and Remus, with his newly acquired, but oddly accurate sense of her moods, diffused the brewing lecture by prodding her into trying some treacle; she'd always wondered what it tasted like. The light, heady banter that had characterized their summer in a fantasy world quickly took her mind from the odd happening with the Sorting Hat.

It wasn't until she was leaning against Sirius, her back against his and head resting on her knees that she remembered the Hat's rather amused comment. _My brother. But my brothers are still safe in our world...Or at least, they'd better be._

* * *

Kagumi sat by Jet, and sighed contentedly. _These chintz armchairs really are very squishy._ Her mind wandered back to the train ride. She'd been hit with a rather harsh realization, and was still trying to think of a way to broach it with her friend. After that heated argument on the train, she'd flushed angrily and left the compartment, shattering the window as she passed and Kagumi didn't want a repeat experience.

Jet turned to her expectantly. "You wanted to talk, Gumi?" she asked mildly, still quite obviously put out by her friend's odd behavior.

"Yeah. Well, as I tried to say before, I... I um, well, there's no easy way to say this, but... I've noticed things," Kagumi cleared her throat, trying to keep her mind on track; Jet's shirt was making it difficult. It was the same shirt she'd worn the night they'd arrived in this world: _Save a Broomstick, Ride a Chaser._ It was funny enough not to get her thrown in detention if McGonagall saw it, but raunchy enough to keep everyone's eyes bright with amusement. Jet shrugged, bringing Gumi's attention back.

"Really now?" Jet asked, with a slight upturning of her lips. "I am told that if you have eyes, you tend to notice things. I can clearly see two eyes on your face."

Kagumi cheerfully flipped her off before saying, "Can we be serious here?"

"How can we? I think we're lacking the pertinent anatomical details required to be Sirius." Jet smirked a little, her arms still wrapped around her knees. Gumi, who'd known the girl for quite a while, was glad that they'd left the Feast early and that the Common Room was mostly empty; Bridget would never have been relaxed even the tiniest bit had it been otherwise.

Kagumi gave her friend an evil grin. "So now you're concerned with his 'pertinent anatomical details?' Intriguing." The other girl flushed from the neck up, and Kagumi got a strange sort of satisfaction. _Ha. Payback for that blasted tape from the birthday party. Even if I never find it, I'll remember this as my revenge._ "Seriously though, and _not a word_, I want to try and talk to you about what I wanted on the train. I didn't mean to stalk off like that, but... well..."

"... I suppose we can try to talk it through." Jet muttered, without any inflection in her voice; it was as if she was waiting for Gumi to reveal what she was thinking before making a judgment on it. Kagumi had a sinking suspicion that if Bridget knew what was really going through her head, she'd probably strangle her.

"And Raminus said we'd been sent here for a reason, though the low-down, dirty, family-posing bastard wouldn't even tell us what..." Gumi narrowed her eyes, then jumped as a nearby blank portrait loudly cleared its throat in indignation, in Ram's voice. It seemed, though, that the two girls were the only ones who could hear it.

"Hey! I resent that! My parents were legally married when I was born!"

"Oh shut up," Jet muttered, idly throwing a Silencing spell at the black canvas.

"Now, now, Jet." Gumi's green eyes were dancing with mischief.

* * *

"Did you see that?" Cordan gestured excitedly. Raminus nodded, his mouth still Silenced. Technically, the girls' spells shouldn't have been able to pierce between the realms, but Ram had long ago stopped being surprised by anything they did. It just went to show that the boys had chosen well. He did wish that the girls didn't have to test their progress on him, though.

"And there haven't been students who weren't properly Sorted since a decade after Hogwarts was founded. It's been _difficult _before, but the Hat hasn't given _anyone _a choice since Clarke was Sorted. Do you know what this...?" he trailed off, finally noticing the unamused glare that his oldest friend was leveling at him. Raminus threw his hands to the ceiling. "Okay, not so much 'choose your fate' as 'you belong here, but you're too damned stubborn.'" At Raminus's pointed look, Cordan threw his hands in the air, mirroring Ram's exasperated gesture. "All right, one case of each. Happy _now_?"

"Why doesn't it surprise me that she belongs in Slytherin?" Cordan asked, rolling his eyes. Raminus had very eloquent eyebrows, he noticed, lovingly drawing his wand; this was too good to pass up. "Your name is only Raminus karking Slytherin. Heir to the Lake House and all that rot." Raminus lowered his eyebrows, scowling, and used a Marauder hand sign: **I know what you're thinking. Don't.** Cordan smiled innocently, with his best, "Who, Me?" expression. But 900 odd years of friendship and fights had left Raminus immune to his best friend's ploys.

"I guess I should un-Silence you, huh?" Cordan asked, with a similar sparkle to the one in Bridget's eyes.

_Uh-oh,_ Ram thought. _Not good._

* * *

"I guess-- how should I put this-- I think perhaps, since we've been given one _hell_ of a chance, we should take advantage of the fact that we are in the seventies, able to meet people that we've only ever dreamed of meeting before," Kagumi suggested softly. Jet had already warned her, through their modified sign language, that the boys were attempting to sneak up on them. Her request wasn't too obvious, was it?

"I suppose," Jet replied noncommittally. Her eyes were a little cooler than normal, and Kagumi noticed that she hadn't really looked at her much. It was a sign that she was irritated with her. Well that was fine, Kagumi thought irritably, she could be irrational too. But what Kagumi didn't realize was that it hadn't escaped Jet's notice that Kagumi had very carefully mentioned nothing about changing anything, so for the sake of not wanting to fight anymore, she refused to let the tiny little voice calling her friend a hypocrite get any louder. For tonight, at least.

"I hate to admit, I'm pretty fond of them." Kagumi smiled maliciously. "But just because they're our friends doesn't mean that they're off the hook. IMPROMPTU PILLOW FIGHT!" Her normal lilt disappeared as she raised her voice loudly enough to be heard and Kagumi whirled around, throwing a pillow at Peter before he could duck.

It hit him square in the face, and slid down to his chest; Jet started laughing at his stunned expression. This, of course, made the boys set down whatever they were carrying (sounded like bottles) and each pick up a pillow, chasing Gumi. She grabbed two pillows and started beating James and Sirius indiscriminately, until a bad throw caught Remus in the back of the head.

Kagumi had to giggle at Moony's affronted expression, and that prompted him into retaliating, alternately defending her from Peter and James, and whacking her himself. Sirius joined the fray joyfully, time and again, dodging the occasional pillow from Bridget, who was too busy laughing to really put any effort into it. The teams and alliances switched, and changed and morphed, as if someone had enabled the randomizer for life, until it turned into an all-out, no-holds-barred pillow fight; there was a memorable moment when Kagumi stood atop one of the couch arms, much to the amusement of Gryffindor Tower, and yelled out, "Take no quarter!". Finally, when all of the combatants lay on the floor and nobody could manage enough energy for another swing, the fight ended and Kagumi smiled contentedly. _This, this must be heaven..._ she thought, as her eyes drifted shut contentedly.

"So," Sirius said, sometime later as feathers drifted softly to the plush carpet, "We have a surprise for you girls, for your official first night at Hogwarts. A tradition, of sorts, from the Marauders." Kagumi looked up from where she was draped, halfway over an ottoman, and quirked an eyebrow imperiously. Or, rather, it would have been imperious had she not been upside down. Bridget shook her head, all the anxiety that had been forgotten in the pillow fight beginning to come back as she curled up, settling herself in the armchair next to James and across from Kagumi.

* * *

_Definitely not good. _"When I said Un-Silence me, Cordan Gryffindor, I didn't mean like this!" Raminus's normally alto voice had been altered to a pipsqueak similar to that gained from inhaling helium. The resulting fight took their attention away from the Mirror, which showed James levitating bottles into any waiting hands. "Get back here, you pompous arse!"

* * *

"You know," James slurred only slightly. A tower of Butterbeer bottles leaned towards him, and he waved his wand rather disjointedly. The tower straightened, but then began leaning the other way, which impressed Kagumi; he was completely sloshed and he still managed decent spellwork. Even though they'd warned her that the fresher brews were stronger than normal, she'd dismissed it; now her head felt sort of watery, and she feared that if she moved too much, she might float away.

"This isn't good, James -hic- Nathaniel; getting us like this on our first night at Hogwarts," Kagumi scolded. Or attempted to, rather; it might've helped had she been looking in the right direction. Kagumi giggled, and then her eyes crossed slightly as she tried to focus them on something.

Remus was stifling laughter behind his book; this was a normal sight with the Marauder's first night at Hogwarts, or Last Night at Hogwarts, or, well, anytime to celebrate, really; he rarely joined in, and so was designated their official Put-To-Bed Person. Peter was quietly betting with said laughing boy on who would pass out first: Sirius, who was waltzing and weaving at the same time, alone and singing vaguely off-key, or James, who was sprawled halfway on one of the couches, absently waving his wand until little gusts of colored wind began coming out the end.

"Personally," Moony managed, in between gales of laughter, "I think it'll be Griffins." The Hawaiian girl had been nursing the same bottle of unrested beer all night, but it seemed to affect her a bit more strongly than the others, either that or the excitement was too much for her. Remus was betting on the butterbeer; he'd seen the girl pull three all-nighters in a row before. She was currently curled in between the arms of a cushy chair like a cat, dozing and listening to her friends banter.

Sirius grabbed Kagumi's arm and hauled her to her feet, spinning her around and nearly tipping them both over. A few of the other students looked on with plain amusement, like Kamal Thomas, the half-African, half-British wizard who'd welcomed the new arrivals with open arms, but Lily Evans was glaring daggers at James. When Bridget, who'd happened to look up in time to see her glance away, quietly informed him of this, he got a strange light in his eye.

"I think I love her, Bridge." This declaration was, by far, the most sober-sounding statement to come out of James's mouth since the pillow fight, which had left feathers all over the common room. Lily was muttering angrily, trying to clean the mess up.

Bridget tried to suppress her smile. "I'm--"

"Oh please," Kagumi said as she sat down, still swaying slightly. Bridget frowned at her before glancing back at James. She pushed herself up into a sitting position; there was no way this conversation could end well. For lack of a better phrase, she had a bad feeling about this. "You don't know what you're talking about, James."

"And what do you mean by that?" James asked, trying to focus his eyes on her.

"Well, to be quite blunt--"

"When are you anything but?" James grumbled, without any true rancor.

"As I was saying. Jamesie boy, to be very honest, you don't know her. You only know the superficial things about her, and I don't think that equals love. Lust, most certainly, but not love." Kagumi looked at James directly, (or as directly as the situation allowed) and was frighteningly sober for the moment. "You're rather like a dog, love, that's chasing a car: you'd have no idea what to do with it if you actually caught it."

"You calling me a dog?" James said indignantly, attempting to sit up straight and ending up falling on his head. "Ow." He rolled over and fixed Gumi with a gaze probably designed to stop the girl's brewing temper, but all it achieved was making him look as wide-eyed as though Gumi had changed colors.

"I thought I was the lovable puppy," Sirius said, large, glassy eyes focused on his bickering friends.

Bridget pulled out her wand, hoping she wouldn't have to mediate a fight...again. Peter sighed, and Remus kept a wary eye on the situation, aware of just how irrational James could be at the best of times, let alone when so smashed he could barely stand straight.

"I never said you were a dog, James, just that you wouldn't know the first thing to do if you actually managed to win her heart!" Kagumi was getting heated now, and no one noticed Lily Evans inching closer, trying to catch every word; the bag containing the feathers had fallen to the floor, unheeded. Lily was stunned, and had certainly never expected to hear the strangers defending her, especially from someone they seemed so close to. James and Bridget, certainly, and to a degree James and Kagumi, although the short girl seemed much more centered on Sirius; but there had been no lack of affection and camaraderie between the four pranksters and the two new Americans.

"I am _not_ a dog!" James seemed stuck on the accusation, however misinterpreted it was. He finally managed to get off his back and to his feet, looking down at the shorter girl while Bridget nervously glanced between the two, her bottle forgotten and stuck between the chair arm and the cushion.

"Would you get off the damned dog kick and _listen_, James? I'm just saying maybe you should actually try to get to know her!" Kagumi stomped her foot and promptly lost her balance, just managing to catch herself on Remus's shoulder; he winced and rubbed the sore spot where her thin, but strangely strong fingers had dug into his collarbone.

"I do know her! And I also know that she _despises_ me!" James roared, ruddy in the face. The entire Common Room was quiet, watching the pair fight; Remus heard more than one wager being laid.

"For someone who got to be Head Boy-- which might I add you're setting a fine example by being _despicably_ drunk-- you are dense as hell!" Kagumi screeched right back, stepping forward and causing James to stumble back and fall into the couch again. "She only despises the way you treat her, like some sort of a frackin' trophy or prize! You try to be someone else, and never consider that she might actually like James Nathaniel Potter for who _he is_! Instead, you try to impress her and only end up driving her away! I've got some news for you, _ner vod._ She doesn't want to know how good at spellwork you are, or how accurate your hexes _on her friend_ are. She doesn't want to know how many girls you've had drooling at your feet. And maybe," Kagumi's green eyes were cold and distant, with none of the mercy James knew lurked within her soul; instead, the girl's gaze looked very much as it had the night she heard of Remus's kidnapping.

"Just maybe, James, you should do some soul searching, assuming you have one, and figure out whether you 'love' her," her dainty hands made sneer quotes, and the sarcasm behind the icy word was palpable, "because you want to, or because _she told you no..._"

"_Forty-seven times_!" James shouted back, his lip a little more full than normal; on anyone else, it could have been called pouting. James truly looked hurt and a little embarrassed. Lily was mortified that he'd actually kept count, and several heads turned to glance at her before returning their gaze to the fight; it was as if the Common Room was wary of breathing too loudly, and thus diverting the circling anger onto themselves. "No one else has told me no."

Kagumi pointed her thin finger right at James's nose and his eyes crossed; if the argument hadn't been so serious, and so very loaded with emotion, it would have been comical. "So she's 'the one who got away?' She's 'irreplaceable', _right_? Much as I love your parental units, Potter, maybe they should have told you no more often as a child! She's right; I don't know how you fly so well with that damned ego of yours! You can't ever love someone else until you love yourself, and I don't mean _narcissism_!" Kagumi leaned away, her eyes suspiciously bright; if one who knew her tuned out the words, and simply listened to the tone of Kagumi's voice, they would have known immediately that though she thought she was right, having to say it was breaking her heart.

* * *

Raminus and Cordan stopped their chase-and-tag (which the fight had turned into) so suddenly that Raminus skidded on the hem of his robe, and crashed into Cordan, sending both young men tumbling into the wall. That tone of voice, they had learned over their years of spying on the girls, was never good. That tone meant trouble, and not the sort easily forgotten.

"What is going on?" Cordan asked quietly.

"No idea," Ram said. "Let's find out thought."

When they'd caught up to speed with the argument, the two shared a worried glance, and both uttered a single sentiment, albeit it in different languages.

"Oh _crap_."

"_Osi'kyr_."

* * *

She'd been turning it over all summer in her head, and something, maybe the simple statement that had been a little thoughtless, or maybe it was the summer of listening to James Potter wax poetic about someone he really didn't know well, but something had sparked this flame inside Kagumi's conscious and she knew that she'd lit a roaring inferno, so there was no chance of forgetting what was being said.

"Oh, she's mad now," Sirius said matter-of-factly, leaning down between two fifth years. "She's using the big words. You know, she's the only one outta us who uses big words when she's smashed..."

"I'm not nosy!" Kagumi shouted, her face a brilliant pink. Remus found it rather endearing, until he squashed the thought completely. _Not her, Lupin. Not anyone..._

"Really? First you invade my home, then you attack my friend, now you try to give me advice on my love life? I'd call that being nosy!"

Bridget's eyes narrowed. Now he was going too far. At first it had been about Kagumi's reckless temper and him defending his fragile male ego; now he was just lashing out and at her, too. _She _hadn't done a damn thing.

"I did not invade, Potter!" Kagumi's voice, no matter the volume, was icy. "I was invited because my family dumped me here! I didn't mean to hit Peter, but _he's_ forgiven me," ("Well, you can't really be angry when she makes those brownies," Peter said to Remus blandly, who nodded absently.) "and you haven't! I thought we were friends."

"Think again!" James said, just as frostily. Lily found herself sympathizing with Kagumi, who looked nearly in tears. Correction: was in tears.

"You know, Moons, I think James might take your spot as her favorite person to fight with," Sirius stage-whispered, eyes still trained on Bridget's wand, which was still poised in case of violence. Well, more violence than normal with an angry Kagumi. This fight between two of his friends was killing him; he hated seeing Kagumi and James at each other's throats, and he hated even more not being able to do anything about it. Sirius, inebriated though he might be, was still smart enough and had enough experience in dealing with both the angry Irish witch and his own best friend that he understood this fight a bit more than most; he knew that this fight needed to happen, that to get the real issues out and dealt with, a little shouting and a few names and some fairly unpleasant truths were a small price to pay, considering the alternative.

"And furthermore, I would only be giving you advice on your love life if (a) it _was_ love, and (b) you had a life! Good _night_!" Kagumi turned on her heel, storming up the stairs to the seventh year girls' dorm, raging all the way about dimwitted men and fragile adolescent egos. Jet sighed something as she went after her friend, and Moony looked at her sharply. It sounded a lot like, "Well, _that_ was subtle."

* * *

"Go _away,_ Bridget!" Kagumi said harshly, the happy mood of the pillow fight gone; in its place was a frothing fury that covered a bruised heart. The drinks had not only loosened her normally disciplined tongue, fueled her temper, which was never good on its own, and made her dizzy, but it had also soured on her stomach, and made her head ache; she'd pay for the fun in the morning, even more than she was right now.

Bridget could tell that her friend was tired, and the crying was just exhausting her further. But Bridget didn't know that the conversation with the Hat had spooked Kagumi more than she'd care to admit. Idly, some part of her mind wondered whether she should have accepted the place in Slytherin. The idea of being in Slytherin was rubbing Kagumi's mind raw, and the argument with James, which now that she was looking back, had escalated a bit too easily, had only aggravated an already stressed mind.

"I'm not going away, Gumi. Not until you talk to me." She calmly sat down on her new four-poster, situated between Kagumi's and another girl's. Her friend was still crying, her breathing harsh and ragged. No matter what she said, and yes, she was _still_ ranting, Kagumi had cared quite a lot about James. She'd not quite hit it off the way she had with Sirius, nor was there any of the ignored tension like between her and Remus, but she was fond of all of them. Reaching out, Jet stroked her friend's hair, noticing the way the now-quiet girl leaned into the touch; Gumi always had a need for reassurance and affection after an upset.

The girl had cried herself out, and was breathing much softer than a few moments ago. Bridget looked down at her friend's tear-streaked face, and she realized that, frankly, she was fed up with the whole thing. It was a stupid argument, true, but it had crossed the line.

That was _it_, she decided, as she gently pulled Gumi's curtains shut. She'd had _enough_.

* * *

Sirius, thanks to a bucket of very cold water brought to him by a sympathetic House Elf, was the first to notice the soft, rapid footsteps coming down the stairs. "Hey, Gum-- Oh."

Bridget was walking calmly, if briskly, towards James. Without even pausing to acknowledge the other three boys, who had been discussing the fight between their two friends, Bridget walked right up to James. He had been staring into the fire, but stood when he heard her approaching. She stopped in front of him and slapped him right across the face.

Hard.

The Common Room went silent, and everyone stared at the pair, at Bridget standing there cold as ice, and James rubbing his jaw. Sirius and Remus were shocked beyond belief with identical gaping faces, but Peter could see how very tense Bridget was. She might have had her voice under control, but her spine was ramrod straight.

Eyes hard and flat, she folded her arms elegantly across her shirt and waited.

"Um...yes, Bridge?" James said so softly he could barely be heard in the dead-silent Common Room.

"I'm just waiting for you to tell me that I'm not your friend either, James," she said sweetly. "After all, almost every argument you used against her applies to me as well."

Her voice was calm, as though she were asking him to pass the pepper at the dinner table, and James just stared back. Bridget blinked, tilting her head as if she was curious rather than completely furious with him. He ran a hand through his hair.

"No, I would never-- Not to you." He winced when her brown eyes got even colder and her expression went blank. That probably hadn't been the wisest thing to say-- Bridget was loyal if anything. It would also propel the rumors about the girls and the Marauders to new heights in the morning, although neither James nor Bridget realized that; Peter groaned as he realized that he and Moony would have to field the rumor mill until it died down.

"Really?" she interrupted harshly, arching an eyebrow. He faltered, opening and closing his mouth several times. Noticing how very close the girl was to him, he began to backpeddle in an attempt to get farther away from the surprisingly intimidating girl, but she just followed him; Kamal grabbed Lily's arm, where it hung limp as she watched the spectacle, and tugged her into the empty chair beside him. Still, no one spoke.

Arms still folded, voice still cold and calm, Jet rolled his eyes when James didn't say anything, scoffing. "You are such a stupid, fucking _jackass_."

"What?" he said, eyes wide. He'd never heard her swear before, none of them had; the girl was known for making up odd sayings instead of cursing; Kagumi was the one who had a list of curses as long as she was tall, but never Bridget.

"We were _invited_ by your parents to spend the summer, _Potter,_" she flung the last name at him as though it were a weapon, and James flinched as if he'd been hit. Bridget had _never _used _anyone's _surname. She'd said it was a Hawaii thing, "because they didn't want us to be alone. _Kagumi and I_ were perfectly content to stay here; the two of us have always enjoyed exploring. But they invited us. I'd like you to think about the _facts _next time you decide to deride someone for things out of their control because-- and I'm not sure if _you've _ever experienced this or not-- it really sucks to have everything decided for you without any sort of input." Her eyes flashed in the firelight as she passed the hearth in her eerily quiet pursuit of the stumbling boy.

"Moreover, James, if _this _is who you really are, this pigheaded, spoiled, self-centric _ass_," she said, finally uncrossing her arms and making her way over to the table where the other three Marauders sat. She sat in an empty chair, propping her feet on the table; in the dim light her features were uncharacteristically fierce, nearly ominous and her eyes were almost black instead of the normal chocolate brown, hard. She smiled sharply, "I don't think I _want_ to be your friend, so you don't have to worry about me _imposing_ on you ever again."

She picked up her book, effectively ending the conversation, and the Common Room slowly picked up its chatter, though it seemed a bit subdued. Reluctantly, looking very much like he was ready to flee if she even hinted at taking out her wand, James sat down at the same table, only to be completely ignored by the girl. She seemed to staunchly look right through him, only glancing up when he pulled the chair in, and he winced.

He was used to getting those looks from Lily, as though he were just a part of the scenery, but from Bridget, from a girl that he'd spent his entire summer actually getting to know instead of snogging to keep himself occupied, it really hurt. Shamefaced, he looked down and listened to the trivial small talk around the room, fidgeting absentmindedly. Sirius flicked his eyes towards his best friend, but no one else seemed to acknowledge James's presence; he didn't seem very interested in the conversation, either, wrapped up in his own thoughts.

After an hour or so, Bridget was still reading, but hadn't relaxed completely-- or at all, really. Peter noticed the lines around her mouth, normally nonexistent, were deeper than he'd ever seen them and her jawline was taut; he was good at noticing little things like that, able to see past people's facades regardless of how good they were. Bridget's was probably one of the best he'd ever seen. Her eyebrows furrowed together for a split second before she slammed the book down; James nearly fell off the chair he started so badly.

"You _do _realize what you've done, right?" she said, sounding completely frustrated.

It took James a moment to realize that she was speaking to him again, if only for the moment. Slowly, he looked up into her eyes; they weren't nearly as cold as before, but she was still obviously angry with him.

"Tomorrow, Kagumi is going to track down whoever your worst enemy is in this painfully small school and make friends with him. And you know what their common bond will be?" She leaned a bit closer. "Their anger for you. Believe me, no one does grudges the way Gumi does. Except for me, maybe." She shrugged, then leaned back, frowning thoughtfully. "Let's think, your worst enemy." The other boys' eyes got wide as they came to a collective realization.

"Now _that _would be Severus Snape, wouldn't it? That Slytherin who used to be friends with Lily?" Bridget smiled coldly; it wasn't a pleasant expression. "You have just screwed yourself over, my dear." She leaned closer. "And if I have to be nice to someone who I think is a jerk just because he's friendly with my friend, I am not going to be a happy person." Her voice lowered. "And you do _not_ want me mad at you. I'm much less forgiving."

Without another glance, Bridget Griffins walked up the stairs to the girl's dormitory, and left the four boys glancing amongst themselves.

Peter was the first to speak. "She wouldn't really do that, would she? Kagumi, I mean." He had no doubt Bridget would carry through any threat she made.

"No," James scoffed, "'course not. Snape's a Slytherin."

"I dunno," Remus rubbed his chin thoughtfully, thinking back on flashing green fire and the scent of anger. "Pheonix does have quite the temper."

Sirius was quiet, still staring at the staircase Bridget had walked up. "Did anyone else think that was hot?"

* * *

Author's Notes: There it is, finally. Our newest. We're so sorry that we're late, but it's been…A very stressful few months lately, including university, moving and deaths. Everyone's alright though, for now. It's just been stressful. But we got it done and now we're progressing. Notice that this one is longer than a lot of the others: that's because I know that we've deprived you guys. Also, if you haven't noticed, we've started doing quotes now, and since we're revamping the entire series, you might want to go back in a few weeks and reread through it.

Anyway, sorry for taking so long, and here it is, enjoy. And for some odd reason, the Song won't format correctly. To recap, we had our first view of Severus Snape and Regulus Black; what could they be thinking?

Kagumi's Note: _ner vod_ means my friend/comrade/brother. _Burc'ya_ means friend, and it can be used in sarcasm, as exampled above. _Ner vod_ means my friend, comrade or brother. _Osi'kyr_ is a strong way of saying "Oh no," or "Oh, crap." Not used lightly.

Keep reading to see how the fight affects the Marauders and their friends. And what about the tutors that Dumbledore arranged for a few chapters ago? And how will the girls do with their first full day of school? And what about Jet's prediction?

* * *

_Coming next chapter:_

"_Poor thing," Kagumi said warily; she'd never really cared much for Kreacher, but had a suspicion that he would play an important part in the future worlds for the Potterverse. That is, if she and Jet didn't manage to bollox everything up._

"_Not really. He's always liked Regulus more anyway. Speaking of Regulus," Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Did you know that he was staring awfully hard at you and Jet this morning?"_

"_Really now?" Bridget asked, a faint blush spreading across her face as she copied the notes from the board; seemed that as long as she had something to work on, something to occupy her mind, she didn't worry too much about being in such a new place. "From what Peter told me, Gumi gave him quite a show."_

"_What was up with that, anyway?" Remus asked irritably, uncomfortable remembering how he'd been unable to look away from the spectacle the girl had made of herself; the memory of her hand sliding so smoothly up the younger Black's chest had made his blood boil every time he thought about it. He pushed the oddly pleasing image of punching Regulus Black (which in itself was odd; aside from those few temper outbreaks, and the full moon, Remus Lupin was _never_ violent) out of his mind and settled for opening his textbook with such force that James, Sirius, Peter and Bridget all jumped and turned to look at him. _

_Kagumi shrugged; no matter how hard Remus slammed things, it wouldn't change what she'd done and it wouldn't change the fact that she enjoyed making him squirm even if he didn't know why. "He saw what he wanted to see. He's so eager to believe the very worst of Sirius, and I have half a mind to set him straight once and for all." She grinned widely. "I have a lot of experience with younger brothers."_


	17. All Your Fault

_**Disclaimer: **__We don't own anything except our original characters and original plot._

_**Author's Notes: **_Took long enough, didn't it? Anyways, here it is. Have fun.

* * *

Chapter 16

All Your Fault

* * *

"_Somewhere along the line, I started hurting the people I care most about, and I can't figure out how to stop." – Paul Johansson as Dan Scott on _One Tree Hill

* * *

Kagumi opened her eyes and immediately shut them again. "Ugh," she growled. "What is that?"

Bridget cracked a smile as she pulled on her shoes. "_That_ is the sun, Gumi. It's after dawn already."

Kagumi rolled over, pulling the red blankets over her head. "Well, it offends me. Turn it off."

"Everything offends you at this hour. Now get up or I'll have the House Elves carry you to the Great Hall in your pajamas."

Kagumi opened one eye, pulling the cover down far enough to peer out from under it. "You _wouldn't_."

Bridget had barely the time to give her a wry look before the other girl sprang out of bed and hastily began pulling clothes on. Seeing her friend trying to pull a brush through her tangled hair, since she'd fallen asleep before braiding it, while hopping on one foot and trying to pull her sneaker on left Jet snickering as she left the empty Dormitory. She'd reached the Portrait Hole and was climbing very carefully out of it when Kagumi slid down the banister and hit the floor at a run, quickly and efficiently tying a bandanna around her tangle-free braid.

"I'm here, I'm here, no need to threaten me with Elves," Gumi grumbled. "Whoo for breakfast."

* * *

Breakfast was strained to say the least. Bridget hadn't been able to keep up the chatter she normally did at breakfasts, the anxiety slowly building up until she felt nauseous just looking at the food and she wanted nothing more than to return to her room and hide, even if she knew she couldn't. She looked up from her half-filled plate and realized that their part of the table was oddly quiet. Frowning, she looked between James and Gumi; they weren't even looking at each other.

"How is it that I always end up between rowing people when I'm with you?" she hissed towards Gumi, who shrugged and blinked owlishly.

"Um, Gumi?" Peter asked hesitantly; the sweet, more-confident Peter of the summer was gone and in his place was the shy, quiet Peter that the girls had first met. Timidity didn't suit him well after they'd seen what he was capable of and both girls had resolved to bring him out of his shell again.

"Yeah, Pete?" she asked, mid-yawn.

"Are... are you aware of how you're dressed?" He nodded towards her eclectic mash of clothing. A green bandanna covered the top of her hair, tied beneath the thick black braid, and the streaks in her hair that had once been blue were now an emerald green to match. Her collar wasn't smoothed, and an understated band at her throat held a little charm that he couldn't see as it dipped briefly into her Oxford shirt.

Wiping sleep from her eyes, she looked wearily at him. "Of course. But I'd rather be seen as the person I am than for what they want to see. Besides, technically I'm not on the wrong side of the regulations, since I'm wearing my entire uniform. I'm just wearing stuff added to it." Bridget rolled her eyes, but Gumi stubbornly ignored it.

Peter shook his head and returned to his porridge while Kagumi stole the hot chocolate pot from Jet and poured herself a cup. Remus came down the stairs, looking immaculately groomed as usual, and stared as he sat down and pulled a plate of bacon towards him. "Is that a-- is that a collar?"

She leveled a tired glare at him, one hand holding her head up. "It is."

He shrugged, wondering why anyone would wear a collar like a dog, and began eating. James distantly noted that the amount on Remus's plate was far more than he normally ate, and realized that since the Anti-Lycanthrope attack, Remus had gained at least a stone. The boy looked healthier than he ever had, and actually had some color in his cheeks. It was barely noticeable, but it was a definite improvement.

"You noticed that too, huh?" Peter asked quietly.

"When did it happen?" James asked.

"Probably around the time Gumi threatened him with a hot spatula."

James snorted lightly, feeling irritated by the mere mention of the girl. Contrary to his looks, he hadn't slept much the night before; he'd spent hours replaying the entire argument through his head. And James had, quite reluctantly, realized something: Kagumi might be right. He didn't know Lily at all. Not that his feelings were any less than he'd put forward, but he could see the contradiction they had with his actions; now he could understand why she might have rejected him _quite_ as often as she had.

"Where's Sirius?" Kagumi asked Remus, nibbling at an egg sandwich.

"Still asleep."

"What?" she looked at her watch. "But it's almost eight fifty!"

"He'll sleep until about nine and then dash down _just_ in the nick of time _not_ to get detention for being late," Remus explained patiently. Sure enough, at eight fifty nine, Sirius came running into the Great Hall, skidding on a spilled goblet of orange juice, and collapsing onto the bench next to Kagumi, who managed to snatch her bulging bag of books out of the way a second before they became a literal pain in Sirius's arse.

"Sirius, you almost missed her," James said, not looking past his friend; just because Kagumi may have been right didn't mean that he had to give her the satisfaction of groveling. James Potter might have threatened, hexed, yelled, and utterly charmed his way through life, but he'd never groveled. And he'd be damned if he'd start now.

"Damn! This always happens." Sirius craned his neck, looking for someone.

"Perhaps it's because you sleep so late, Padfoot," Peter said after nearly choking on his orange juice; he seemed remarkably nervous and jumpy for someone who had successfully arrived at one of the safest places on Earth.

"Who?" Jet asked.

"Minnie!" James's cheerful response seemed far too enthusiastic just to be answering her question, so Jet and Kagumi both turned around. There, clad in a deep red robe with a severe bun and a tight-lipped expression, stood a woman who could only be Minerva McGonagall. "Come to see us again, Minnie darling?"

"That is Professor to you, Mr. Potter," she said sternly, but the corners of her mouth had turned up and the tightness loosened a bit. Not terribly much, but probably more than she might have relaxed for another student.

"Ah, my sweetest Minnie," Sirius began. McGonagall turned to look at him. He was beaming with that infamous Black charm, but she seemed unmoved. "We met a colleague of yours. A Mr. Richard Lionel the Third."

She stiffened again. "If you ever mention that name again, Sirius Black, I will give you detention for a _month_," she hissed at him. "Bedpan duty." He gaped; McGonagall only gave him that particular punishment when he'd done something _really_ wrong. Pausing, he mentally counted how many things he might have done wrong before deciding that it just wasn't worth the effort on his first day back.

"But, Professor Minnie, he even knew about our unique accomplishments in your classes!" James protested, waving a piece of bacon vaguely; the professor disdained to reply.

One arched eyebrow and a stack of parchment schedules later, McGonagall had walked away to visit the other part of the table and finish handing out schedules. She hadn't even responded to James's claim, or admonished him for not using her title properly. Sirius passed Kagumi hers, and James gave Jet's to her.

"Ooh," both girls said at the same time; Sirius and Remus shared tolerant looks.

"Double Charms this morning, and then a study period. Perfect." Charms by far sounded easier than most other classes did for now, until they got a little better at hiding the fact that they came from a completely different universe. And, the last time Kagumi had practiced any Charms, she hadn't set the curtains on fire; it was a noticeable advancement.

"What material do you think we'll be covering this term?" Bridget asked Kagumi, in full book-worm mode. Merlin's beard, they actually looked _excited, _although it was nice to see Bridget relax a little. Sirius did wish that it hadn't taken schoolwork to loosen her up, but still. It was an improvement, so he would count his blessings for the day, and leave it at that.

"Maybe we'll get to Protean charms, um, hopefully a Patronus. It's supposed to be very advanced magic, but I can't figure out whether it would be more of a Defense subject, since it works on Dementors as a magical shield, or whether the communication and Charm-like tendencies of the spell itself would qualify it for the Charms lessons."

"Hm, I dunno. Defense?" Jet shook her head, thinking over the possibilities. "I guess we'll find out in a few minutes."

The group stood nearly in unison, and as Kagumi slung her bag over her shoulder, still munching on one last piece of toast, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Pheonix, do you understand the reason behind a uniform?" McGonagall's voice asked.

Several cheeky answers ran wildly through Kagumi's head-- including but not limited to, "To desexualize us so that forget how to act like teenagers;" "Because you're entirely too OCD for anyone's good;" "Because you don't know how to be comfortable and so insist on making every one else uncomfortable;" and "Do you think I care much whether we all look the same or not"-- but simply nodded, one hand tugging at the knot holding the bandanna on her head. Not trusting herself to leave well enough alone, she darted into the crowd of students leaving the Great Hall en masse as soon as her Head of House let go of her shoulder.

She caught up with the Marauders and Jet outside, the former who were standing and talking casually and the latter, who looked peaky and about to faint. Kagumi loosely took her friend's hand and muttered, "Come on, just breathe."

"If you dare make an in-and-out joke, I'll hit you," Jet muttered right back as the classroom door opened and they took seats at the very front of the room.

"Why would I," Kagumi said, crossing her legs and laying her wand on the table in front of her, "when you just said it yourself?" She tossed a lackadaisical smirk at her friend, who glowered. It seemed like the more time the two girls spent around the Marauders, the more tendencies they seemed to pick up from them; Kagumi had definitely adopted-- or perhaps it was really that his presence had loosened her up a lot-- Sirius's quirky, careless charm.

"Ha bloody ha."

"Students, students," a voice squeaked and an older man climbed up on a large stack of books; with a little cane and a little top hat, Filius Flitwick seated himself and cleared his throat loudly to get the mass of student attention. "We're doing something exciting today, students. Hope you didn't lose everything you learned last year over the summer, but if you did that's quite alright because we'll be reviewing several charms in order to tackle a much more complex charm. It will likely be quite difficult." He smiled brightly at the sea of groans and muttered curses.

Flitwick spread his tiny hands innocently, still beaming. "Welcome to N.E.W.T level Charms. You _did_ sign up for it."

* * *

The Charm review had been quite easy for the returning students. Even the two Americans, with their not-so-subtle proficiency testing from Flitwick, did better than expected. And the off-shoot of the Water Charm, Aguamenti, which instead of a jet of water produced a very fine mist, had also gone well.

"Now then, we're going to practice a newer spell. It's one of a family of perception charms. What it's going to do is make the target believe that their personal gravity has been reversed. There's another form of this charm, combined with an actual transportation charm, which really does reverse personal gravity; it's mostly used by old families to allow their servants to properly clean ceilings."

"I remember that charm," Sirius said suddenly. "My mum once used it on Kreacher so that he could scrub the basement ceiling."

"Poor thing," Kagumi said warily; she'd never really cared much for Kreacher, but had a suspicion that he would play an important part in the future worlds for the Potterverse. That is, if she and Jet didn't manage to bollocks everything up.

"Not really. He's always liked Regulus more anyway. Speaking of Regulus," Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Did you know that he was staring awfully hard at you and Jet this morning?"

"Really now?" Bridget asked, a faint blush spreading across her face as she copied the notes from the board; it seemed that as long as she had something to work on, something to occupy her mind, she didn't worry too much about being in such a new place. "From what Peter told me, Gumi gave him quite a show."

"What was up with that, anyway?" Remus asked irritably, uncomfortable remembering how he'd been unable to look away from the spectacle the girl had made of herself; the memory of her hand sliding so smoothly up the younger Black's chest had made his blood boil every time he thought about it. He pushed the oddly pleasing image of punching Regulus Black (which in itself was odd; aside from those few temper outbreaks, and the full moon, Remus Lupin was _never_ violent) out of his mind and settled for opening his textbook with such force that James, Sirius, Peter and Bridget all jumped and turned to look at him.

"What?" he growled, before clearing his throat and trying to get a stranglehold on his temper. "What?" he tried again; it was marginally calmer.

Kagumi shrugged; no matter how hard Remus slammed things, it wouldn't change what she'd done and it wouldn't change the fact that she enjoyed making him squirm even if he didn't know why. "He saw what he wanted to see. He's so eager to believe the very worst of Sirius, and I have half a mind to set him straight once and for all." She grinned widely. "I have a lot of experience with younger brothers."

"That sounds a bit ominous, to tell the truth," Peter admitted nervously, knocking his wand into the floor for the third time; when it hit, it landed on its tip and bounced, striking the ceiling at an odd angle, rebounding, and hitting a pretty blonde girl in Ravenclaw robes in the back of the head.

"Ow!" she said, clutching her head. "That hurt!"

Peter flushed red from the neck up and scurried over to reclaim his wand. He hesitated when he reached her, though, and Kagumi and Jet shared one of their Looks. The girl's neck -- and face presumably -- were quickly following suit, matching Peter's crimson shade nicely. Her hair was still changing colors -- starting from the point where Peter's wand had struck her -- as she held out her free hand. One hand still on the back of her neck, she held out the other towards him.

"Holland Wells Harper. Holly."

"Pettigrew," he squeaked. "Peter. Peter Pettigrew, I mean."

_Perfect.

* * *

_

In order to test the magic they'd created, one member of each pair had to actually step into the mist; the room looked as though someone had set off a myriad mixture of Muggle smoke bombs, and the cries of surprise as someone stepped through added a surreal element. James took a breath and stepped through the mist that had sprouted from Bridget's wand, and only barely contained a surprised yelp. A brush of magic, cerulean in color and smelling of fresh ocean breezes and large plumeria flowers wafted by him as he felt his personal gravity reverse.

On the other side of their table, Sirius was taking the plunge with Kagumi's magic, which was a dark emerald green and smelled faintly of rainy forests and damp earth; the texture, for lack of a better word, reminded him of willow branches: strong and flexible at the same time. Squinting, he tried to adjust to the fact that the world was still in the right place, but _felt _completely upside down. Then there was how unbelievably relieved he was that her charm-- her wandwork had been known to set things on fire, after all-- had been done properly.

"Now, children," Flitwick squeaked over the mumbles of his students, "just pull one of your feet and the charm should reverse itself. No problems. Remember, the ground _is_ still there."

Sirius yanked his foot and overbalanced, landing him on his rump. He blinked up at the ceiling, taking deep breaths, and waited for the world to right itself. James was having similar problems as he lifted one of his feet and collapsed across their shared table, grinning like a fool while his head spun.

"James?" Bridget asked worriedly.

"I'm good," he said, standing up and still grinning. "Good. It definitely worked."

Remus and Peter had paired off, with Peter casting first. Remus hesitated almost unnoticeably before stepping into the bright yellow cloud of mist, and they saw him screw up his face but he didn't yell out; he'd been expecting it, after all. A moment later, Remus stepped forward, took a deep breath and graced Peter with a large smile.

"Well done, Pete," Remus said in a slightly shaky voice. "Really, that was perfectly cast."

Lily Evans was working with Kamal Thomas, and he stepped into her golden mist with no sign of hesitation. Indeed, he practically jumped into it with a big smile on his face, which only stretched wider as the charm took over his mental defenses.

"Kamal?" she asked; the grin worried her. It gave her a feeling of foreboding she couldn't quite place.

"I am fine, Lily."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." She saw him move one of his feet and then he opened his eyes. The look on his face was similar to that she'd seen on Black's face as McGonagall scolded them for their latest mischief making, or on Pettigrew's as he harvested something from the greenhouses. And it resembled the look on James's– Potter's – face after he scored a tough goal in a Quidditch game.

At an unspoken indication, the role switched. Sirius raised his wand and spoke the incantation, "Kadiilir'aran haa'it!" A fairly large cloud of deep red mist seeped into existence and Kagumi stepped forth as soon as it had settled. A tang of oranges in the back of her throat and something like the feel of velvet across her skin enveloped her as a feeling both like and unlike Apparition squeezed her. It wasn't so much traveling, as a feeling of being jerked upwards by her belly button, and then dangling above the vaulted classroom ceiling. She laughed, spreading her arms as though flying and tilted her head, looking at Sirius's dumbfounded expression.

"It's fun, if you're expecting it," she said nonchalantly, twirling her head in figure eights to see how it affected her already modified perception.

"You're crazy," he offered in return.

"Yeah, but you knew that already," she said with a grin, pulling her foot and collapsing to her knees gracefully, slumped over with a grin.

"Gumi?" Sirius asked.

"I'm fine." The black-haired girl sprang to her feet enthusiastically, stowing her wand in her robe pocket. "I wanna do it again!"

"No."

James performed the spell with similar confidence, and an almost identical mist as Sirius's emerged, though his was more of a scarlet, whereas Sirius's was a dark wine-colored crimson. Bridget casually strolled into it, stopping abruptly two steps in. She blinked, looking around slowly. It was a strange feeling, but not completely unfamiliar. Bridget blinked, trying to figure out what it was like, but gave up. The odd sensation was making it difficult for her to think. She stepped forward steadily enough, but lost her balance when her foot hit the ground, stumbling into Sirius.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she sprang back.

He grinned at her. "Anytime, love."

Bridget gave him a brief, tentative smile and went back to James, sitting down at their desk. He was grinning in a manner that seemed eerily similar to Sirius's and Bridget tried to ignore the blush creeping up her face. She was still trying to figure out what had felt so familiar. Besides, Flitwick was busy giving the... less successful students practice homework; class was almost over.

"All right there?" he asked, sounding amused.

"It was a bit trippy."

"I'm told Sirius can have that sort of effect on girls."

Pleased with himself, James crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. Bridget glared at him. He was being such a-- such a _boy. _How frustrating.

"That is _not _what I was talking ab-- oh!" The glare disappeared off her face as she realized what the sensation was. "It's like wiping out."

"Sirius?" James had heard his best friend described as a lot of things before, but never as a 'wipe-out'. He wasn't even sure what that meant.

"_No,_ this whole upside-down thing. It's like wiping out boarding. Everything's all screwed up and right way up doesn't _seem _to be the right way up. It's completely unnerving. People have drowned because they panic and swim down instead of up, but that's why it felt familiar." She smiled widely, mystery solved. "Oh, I feel so much better now."

James chuckled. "Because it's like wiping out?"

"Yup. I think I kinda missed it. You know, wiping out. Reminds me of boarding." James was giving her an amused look, and she smiled. "That's a little strange, isn't it?"

"Not a bit. The whole thing wasn't weird or jarring at all." And he said it in such a serious manner that Bridget giggled, drawing attention from Sirius as he turned around to see how _he _had gotten her to laugh when she'd barely smile at him. James gave him an apologetic shrug and Sirius turned back, sulking. She _still _wasn't talking to him. It wasn't fair.

"He is _such _a jerk." Kagumi snarled, petite features wrinkling in pure disgust.

Sirius blinked down at her. "What?" She gave him a Look, and Sirius cringed. Right, he'd forgotten about the previous night.

Their free period was going to be _so _much fun.

* * *

Kagumi sat stonily in Ancient Runes, next to her tutor. She didn't know what she had done to be graced with the presence of no one other than James Potter himself. Jerk. She flipped open her textbook hard enough to elicit stares from many of the students and a tired sigh from Bridget, but at the dark look hanging about her face, they quickly averted their eyes.

"Gumi, just try," Sirius pleaded from the other side of their table. "For me?"

"I don't need a tutor, not for Runes," she persisted stubbornly, crossing her arms. "I read both textbooks over the summer and that, combined with my pagan history, I think I will do just _fine_ without _him_ as my _tutor_."

"When did you do that?" Remus and Sirius asked together; they'd barely seen the girl crack a book.

She glanced at them peevishly. "I don't sleep much. So I read at night, when everyone else is asleep."

"Textbooks?" Peter asked. He didn't sound judging or incredulous, simply curious.

"Anything," she admitted, still not looking at James.

Lunch hadn't been any better than breakfast that morning. James had gone so far as Summoning food from around Kagumi, instead of asking her to pass it; the insult lay in the fact that he was no more than five feet from her. Of course, that had only lasted until Bridget had gotten fed up with them both, thrown a roll at James's head, and told him to start acting like the big, grown-up boy they all knew he could be. Whispers had been hissing in the background, and Sirius was sure that the Hogwarts Rumor Mill had sunk its claws deep into this.

And it seemed that in the silent, unyielding walk up to the Runes classroom, their moods hadn't improved towards each other in the slightest. Kagumi now took to fingering her wand on occasion, when she was sure James was looking, and James talked to Sirius, Remus, Jet and Peter as though the Irish witch weren't even there.

Sirius was getting desperate. He'd seen this before, and he was _not_ going to let what happened then happen now. He just wasn't sure how to stop it.

Yet.

* * *

Sirius was pacing. He was pacing and he was radiating enough anger that the rest of the Gryffindors had left the Common Room to the seventh years so he wouldn't hex them into oblivion for breathing too loudly.

"Sirius, love, you need to calm down," Bridget said reasonably.

"No, I'm not going to calm down. I can't calm down. I'm gonna kill him!" he growled.

"No," Remus said, one hand on Sirius's shoulder, "stop being so melodramatic. You're not going to kill Prongs."

"Watch me," Sirius grumbled, but he desisted in his manic pacing, instead slouching down between Remus and Peter.

Bridget set her Transfiguration research down, giving Sirius a concerned look. This wasn't just Sirius being impatient or whatever; he was really worried. But, Gumi was pissed at James, not Sirius, and even if they were insanely close, there was no way she'd mistake the two. Maybe they just didn't have a lot of fights in their group. The only one she'd ever heard of was after Sirius's stupidity in telling Sn-- oh. That explained it.

"Where's Gumi?" Peter asked, surfacing form his book.

"She's, um," Bridget really didn't want to say this in front of Sirius, "she's probably in the library or something." Well, she'd look in the library for Snape. First, anyway.

"Looking for _Snivellus_, you mean?" Sirius snarled, resuming his pacing.

"Um." There was no point in lying. Unfortunately. She winced before offering Sirius an apologetic smile. "Yes. Probably.

"See," Sirius declared, spinning around so that he could gesture more effectively for his audience. He stabbed a finger at the Portait Hole. "_That's _why I want to kill him!"

"Snape?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she frowned at the door he was pointing at. The Slytherin may be a bit of a jerk, but there was no reason why Sirius should want to kill him.

"No," Sirius responded, rolling his eyes. "_James!"_

Peter scratched the side of his cheek with the tip of his quill. "Why are we killing Prongs, exactly? I got so swept up in this murderous rage that I think we bypassed explanations."

"Because he started all this," Sirius waved his hand violently to encompass the group. "If he hadn't set off her temper, then she'd be here instead of hunting down a slimy slithery snake like Snivellus."

"Nice alliteration, but not necessarily true," Bridget said slowly. "I mean, she does need his help with Potions. He's her tutor."

"But she…" Sirius trailed off despondently, looking more like a lost little boy than his normal confident self. She pulled him down next to her, rubbing circles at his back when he dropped his head into his hands.

"What are you really afraid of, Padfoot?" Remus asked, his golden eyes boring into his best friend's grey ones.

"I don't want…" he mumbled the rest of his gripe.

"What was that?" Bridget asked curiously; she knew what it sounded like, but wanted to be absolutely sure.

"I said," he muttered resignedly, raising his eyes to look at her, "that I don't want to lose both of you because of this little spat with James."

Bridget thought for a moment, and Sirius found his eyes drawn to the slight pout her lips had taken. He could _not _kiss her; there was no way he was going to be stupid enough to puss her into avoiding him again. If he did that, their chances of ever becoming the same friends they'd been during the summer was gone. James would be more than happy to keep her company while she avoided him and he avoided Kagumi.

"You won't," she said simply after a moment of thought.

She sighed when she realized that Sirius was just staring at her blankly. Bridget didn't exactly know what his family had done to screw him over so thoroughly that he thought it was either all or nothing, but it was enough to make her want to destroy Grimmauld Place plank by plank.

"Hon, I was beyond angry with James last night, but I get over things easily enough. I either forgive quickly or it'll take me forever to even consider it. I may be forced to hurt him if I have to spend too much time with Snape outside of tutoring, though." She brushed the hair out of his eyes, smiling gently. "And Kagumi, well, Gumi won't punish you for his idiocy."

"She'll just punish you for your own," Remus said helpfully.

Sirius gestured rudely at him, settling back into the couch much more relaxed than he'd been since the previous night. He even had Bridget leaning against him with her book leaning against her knees and her sugar quill in her mouth. Hopefully, she wouldn't remember that she was uncomfortable with him.

* * *

James Potter was, indeed, out doing what James Potter did best: flying. Up on his broomstick, far above the green, green grass of his beloved Quidditch Pitch, James weaved and dodged, clutching a Quaffle tightly to his chest, maneuvering through memorized drills, and inventing new ones along the way. Up here, in the cool night sky, he could almost forget the argument that had torn him apart since the previous night.

Almost.

Scoring a perfect shot – granted that most shots scored without a Keeper were considered at the very least good – reminded him that his Keeper, a fellow Chaser and his second Beater had all left the previous year. He needed replacements. Desperately. With a reluctance that almost had him flying back out, he landed and went to Madame Hooch's office to get the list of people who'd already applied for tryouts. Scanning the list, he saw one name he did _not_ want to see right then.

"No way," he shook his head, crumpling the note in his fist. "No way in Wizarding Hell!"

Fifteen minutes later, after meticulously smoothing the parchment and reviewing the other names, he found himself standing, sweaty and pride-sore, in front of the table and circle of chairs containing his friends. "Bridget," he said, wiping his hands on his robes before remembering that he had forgotten to take off his Chaser gloves.

"Yes, James?" she asked, without even looking up; her essay – the title was obscured by the two books she was using as references – was already longer than anyone else's.

"?" he mumbled, tying the words together so that they were chaotically unrecognizable.

"What?" she asked, still not looking up. "English, please."

He sighed. "Will you be a Beater for me?"

This time, she did look at him, looked him square in the eyes; though it stung, he wasn't entirely surprised by her reaction.

"You can stop laughing now," he grumbled irritably. He was even more irritated when she wiped the tears streaming from her eyes and, still snickering, asked the question he was afraid she'd ask.

"You're only asking me because the only good prospect you have is Gumi, aren't you?"

"No!" James protested, ignoring his friends' collective eye rolling, before sinking a bit lower in the seat he'd claimed from a first year who had seemed besotted with Bridget (Remus hadn't mentioned anything if only because it was funny to watch Sirius glare at an eleven year old). "Maybe?"

"Oh, you poor thing." Jet patted his head like he was a lost five year-old and produced a cookie from… somewhere. "Here, have a cookie. You do realize that Gumi will rip you apart if you ask her if she's trying out now, right? She signed up before your spat." She grinned then, a mischievously wicked smirk, and turned to Remus, "Remus, usually how busy is Madame Pomfrey this time of year?"

Remus grinned. "She'll probably have enough time to handle a case as serious as James's will be."

"You all hate me," James declared. "Can't you ask her for me, Jet? I'll be your friend forever."

"You're already my friend, love," she replied, smirk not having so much as twitched and she was looking more amused by the second. "I'm afraid this is something you have to do on your own."

"Might as well get it over with, then," he said, tugging on her arm.

"Where are we going?" Remus asked, trying and failing to hide his smile.

"To grovel for a team member."

"And why are you dragging me?" Jet asked; Sirius and Peter had shrugged and were currently keeping pace with the small group. "_I_ didn't screw up."

"Because I don't want to be alone with her," James said; the bad thing was that he looked half serious as they neared the courtyard. "Her temper scares me."

* * *

"Severus!" Kagumi said loudly, across the courtyard. The skulking, billowing figure she'd been searching for all day had finally appeared, on the other side of the fountain. "Severus Snape!"

The pale figure finally turned around, ready to tell off whoever was disturbing him, before seeing one of the new Americans. _Great_, he though sourly. _A female and a Gryffindor on top of that._ Slowing down, but not stopping, he watched the short, wiry girl shove her way through the mill of students with surprising ease; the girl seemed to have an incredible amount of charisma, and from the way people looked around as though wondering where she'd appeared from, had the rare ability to be as noticeable or inconspicuous as she desired as well.

"Yes?" he asked unpleasantly. He really disliked the vast majority of Gryffindors. Her eyebrows went up imperially, and she slowed, crossing her arms; one scarred hand was clutching a black wand. A bit scruffy looking, probably from a long trek through the castle, the girl was skinny and pale, and as he stared at her further – with that cold, pitiless stare usually reserved for Gryffindors – he was a little surprised that she didn't back down. _Against my will, I am intrigued._

"I'm Kagumi Pheonix, your new tutor student. I was hoping to talk to you about—"

"Pheonix!"

"Potter," she sighed, whipping around; the wand immediately came up on the defensive. "I'm busy." Still glaring, it was obvious that she would've preferred to just hex him quite instead of forcing it back down. She crossed her arms tightly against her chest and turning back to Severus. "As I was saying, I was wanting to talk to you about Defense tutoring and how soon we could arrange a—"

"Pheonix!" James's voice sounded much more insistent, but the girl coolly ignored him; Severus mentally retook stock of her. Ignoring Potter when he was in a towering rage was not an easy thing to do.

"… meeting, because I'm afraid that my Defense Against the Dark Arts skills are rather poor, and I have a double period first thing tomorrow. Do you think we could…"

"PHEONIX!"

"…talk in the Library, and maybe get some basics down? I have the rest of the night free, and I'd like to get to work as soon as—" A green jet of light flew by her, carrying with it the scent of burnt hair where it had singed her braid. Luckily, Severus ducked— he'd gotten rather good at dodging spells from Potter and the merry gang after that horrid incident in fifth year— and Kagumi whirled around, her wand pointed directly and unwaveringly in between James's eyes, automatically shielding the still crouching Slytherin with her entire body. "Dammit, Potter! You ruin everything!"

She screeched a spell, and the gathering crowd gasped. That did not happen. One did not just try to hex James Potter. But the new girl did. And, judging from the rapidly growing ringlets of hair sprouting from James Potter's face, did a good job of it. He bellowed angrily, clutching the newly growing hair and dropped his guard.

"I knew it," Jet muttered into her hands. She didn't feel like dealing with what was rapidly turning into a horrible, horrible situation.

"Shite," Sirius muttered, diving to intercept what he recognized as a flying tackle.

"Gumi!" Remus yelled, not really all that shocked.

Kagumi was attempting to break free of Sirius's hold on her upper body, shrieking obscenities at the top of her lungs. "You son of a Huttspawned Bomarr castoff! Siri, let me go, I'm gonna do something violent!"

Sirius whispered in her ear as the girls in the crowd glared on; to them, it looked as if he was whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Of course, that was because no one had thought about the fact that she'd just tried to tackle his best friend.

"It'll never last," one said in a comforting, slightly teary voice to another, who was sobbing into her hand.

"How could he fall into an _American's_ clutches?" a third muttered, horrified.

As soon as she decided that she had no choice but to intervene, Bridget stalked up to James, poking her finger effectively and painfully into his chest. "James, this is all _your fault!_"

"My fault?" he sputtered through the still-active jinx. "_My_ fault?"

Sirius still speaking lowly into Kagumi's ear, and Remus kept a careful eye on her aim as her wand was slowly lowered. Bridget began trading James about how he'd brought this all on himself, and that it was still his fault, no matter what he said, and _what_ had she told him about Kagumi seeking out his enemies?

Meanwhile, Severus Snape stood still, in a half-crouch, quite unable to believe what was happening: one of Potter's merry little band had finally tuned on him (possibly two if he went by what the Lily replacement was saying in a very loud voice to the idiot). It was when he heard the word Quidditch that he snapped his black eyes back towards the infighting; the brown haired American was still berating Potter, and jabbing her finger to accentuate her point, Lupin and Pettigrew were watching silently, Black had the other American and Potter was still suffering from the well-cast jinx. Perfect. Though it may or may not last, he savored the scene of Potter getting shown up for being a bully, as usual.

"What?" Kagumi— still pinned by Sirius's arms— immediately stopped struggling. "That was all?"

Sirius nodded, and released her; instinctively, she found herself between Sirius and Severus, who was still watching the whole scene unfold with a look of wary astonishment.

"You only came to make sure I was still trying out?" she asked, still not having lowered her wand completely.

"Mm-hmm," came the muffled reply; to her, James now looked like a cheap, dyed knockoff of Cousin It from the Adams Family. Anger beginning to dissipate, she snickered to herself.

"Well then," she said, waving her wand in a lazy circle; the hair, thankfully, stopped growing. "I'll remove the cause. But the symptom, I think I'll leave. Call it a reminder not to use magic when words would work just as well." With that, she turned and linked her arm through the still shell-shocked Slytherin's arm and walked away, chatting animatedly to the shell-shocked boy.

"James," Bridget said in warning, her eyes flashing angrily. "If I have to hang out with Severus _Snape_, I will not only slaughter you in an extremely embarrassing and painful way, but I will destroy your _soul_." She surveyed him dispassionately. "I suppose we have to get you fixed up. I think I know the spell, but I'd rather not accidentally kill you." She huffed, rolling her eyes and she went off towards Gryffindor Tower. She turned back around when none of the boys moved. "Come along before I decide to let you wallow. This is still _all your fault."

* * *

_

**Author's Notes: **Look! It wasn't nearly as long a wait as the last chapter. Kagumi's out of commission for a bit, but the next bit is entirely my responsibility, so it'll hopefully get to you lot sooner. Thanks to everyone who reviewed or read the last chapter.

* * *

_Next time:_

"_We _forgot _about it," Sirius muttered accusingly to James._

_James and Sirius looked nauseous. They were staring at the paper with something like horror, mouths hanging open and faces frozen in identical shocked expressions. Bridget sat down across from them and buttered a piece of toast for breakfast._

"_Something wrong, boys?" she asked, starting to get a little concerned. They hadn't moved so much as an inch._

_Sirius gave her a bright smile, quickly mimicked by James, and she frowned suspiciously. She'd known the two Gryffindors long enough to know when they were hiding something. "Nothing," he said._

"_Gimme the paper," Bridget demanded, holding out her hand for the Prophet._

"_What paper?"_

_She arched an eyebrow. "The one in your hand, James."_

"_You don't want to—"_

"_No." Sirius glared at James and snatched the paper away. He stuffed it in his pocket. "You can see it after class."_

_Bridget frowned. "Fine," she snapped. She looked down the table. "Kamal? Can I borrow your Prophet for a sec?"_

"_Sure." The boy gave her his copy and quickly moved back down to his seat near Lily. He seemed a little perturbed by the glares Sirius and James were giving him. Bridget didn't care. She looked down at the paper._

"_Oh my."_


	18. Draw The Line

**General Disclaimer:** Hey guys, I know it's been a REALLY long time. But we have been working, and here is ONE of the fruits of our labors. Enjoy, and as always neither Jet and I are Jo Rowling, so...We own nothing except our own brain children.

**Pointed Disclaimer:** There is a tiny bit of language stronger than we usually use, so watch for it.

* * *

**Chapter 17:** Draw the Line

_"If you haven't forgive yourself something, how can you forgive others?" –Dolores Huerta_

_

* * *

_

Breakfast had become something of a habit for the seventh year Gryffindors. Whether all of the eight students were there or not, a majority of them could be seen sitting at the Gryffindor table from the Great Hall's opening. Even Sirius—notorious for putting off the meal to the very last minute or skipping it entirely—had been dragged down there before the majority of the school was even awake on most days.

In fact, that very morning a maliciously cheerful Bridget had hauled him out of bed and downstairs, chattering incessantly the entire time as she practically skipped next to him, pulling him firmly by the hand. Not that he'd really minded, to be honest; he wasn't going to argue when her smile was the first thing he saw in the morning. It was much better than Prongs or Moony, at any rate.

Having been abandoned by her in favor of talking to Lily and Kamal, Sirius sighed and scanned the growing crowd. He pulled the bacon towards him, piled it on his plate next to the scrambled eggs, and settled in to wait.

James yawned widely enough that Sirius was momentarily tempted to try to throw some bacon into the wide-open mouth. Unfortunately, the other boy brought himself out of his half-asleep state long enough to grab a goblet and the jug of orange juice. However, he didn't stay awake long enough to actually pour the juice, nearly spilling it all over himself while Remus observed the scene over his Herbology text, snickering to himself.

It was Peter, though, newly arrived, who voiced the question that had been crossing the three boys' minds (James wasn't even entirely aware of where he was). "Where's Gumi?"

James blinked, looked up and down the table. "Probably off with Snape, the little –" He was cut off when the mail was delivered, particularly by one tawny, extremely ruffled looking bird that dropped a twine-tied roll of newspaper into James's outstretched hand before flying off.

James was instantly awake, but both he and Sirius were so focused on the luck of having the paper fall _into his hand_ that they barely noticed Remus put down his piece of bacon—although, truthfully, it might be more accurate to say that gravity removed it from his grasp— as his eyes narrowed and his gaze slid past James and Sirius towards the incoming students, hoping for the sight of a long black braid.

"Dueling? _Again?_" Remus muttered angrily to himself, completely ignoring the shocked expressions of guilt on his friends' faces, and he stiffly pushed himself to his feet; with a worried glance, Peter (the only Marauder not occupied by whatever was in the morning paper) realized just how close it was to full moon. "This much dueling is simply _not_ health –" The irritated rant faded as he limped out the door.

James and Sirius didn't notice, their partially awake minds still preoccupied by the owl's talents in Prophet delivery. Simultaneously, the two black haired boys looked at each other, shrugged, and opened the paper.

And promptly froze.

"We _forgot _about it," Sirius muttered accusingly, his large breakfast forgotten; now they looked rather nauseous.

Both boys were staring at the paper with something like horror, mouths hanging open and faces frozen in identically shocked expressions. Bridget, having returned from the other side of the table, sat down across from them and absently buttered her toast, regarding the both of them only with mild curiosity.

"Something wrong, boys?" she asked, now a little concerned. She was already halfway done with her toast and they still hadn't moved so much as an inch.

Sirius gave her a bright smile, quickly mimicked by James, and she frowned suspiciously at them. She may still be new, but she'd known the two Gryffindors long enough to recognize when they were hiding something.

"Nothing," he said.

Bridget studied him carefully, scrutinized James, and stuck out her hand for the Prophet. "Gimme the paper," she demanded.

"What paper?"

She arched an eyebrow. "The one in your hand, James."

"You don't want to— I mean, it's really not all that—"

"No." Sirius glared at the quickly caving James and snatched the paper away. He stuffed it in his back pocket. "You can see it after class."

Bridget wrinkled her nose at him. "It's Sunday, love. We don't _have_ class."

Now visibly worried, Sirius crossed his arms over his chest. "Then you can see it later."

She frowned. "Fine," she snapped back, responding to the tension in his voice. She looked down the table. "Kamal? Can I borrow your Prophet for a sec?"

"Sure." He quickly gave her his copy before retreating back to the formidable protection Lily provided. The glares that Sirius and James were giving him had him worried for his safety.

Bridget, however, didn't care what they were trying to hide from her; she was ticked off. She snapped the paper open irritably and read the first headline, her face draining of all color.

"Oh, my."

* * *

"Again."

The two shady figures were frozen, it seemed, in the shadowy gloom. Without warning, they flew at each other, the female raising her arm to deflect a spell her opponent cast at the same moment. Suddenly, they were frozen again.

"Good," the boy's voice was ice cold, and belied the knowing glint in his eyes.

"Not bad for a Gryffindor, eh, Severus?"

Kagumi Pheonix tossed back her green-streaked hair and cast a slant-eyed glance at her dueling partner. The boy smirked and raised his wand again, she tensed and raised her own; again they both seemed as lifeless as statues.

"Stupefy!"

His arm lanced forward suddenly and, just as suddenly, her arm gave a squiggly move to the right.

"Protego!"

The jet of red light hit her glowing shield less than a meter from her body and the resulting rebound sent the deflected spell sailing off into the wall. Finally, Severus lowered his arm and Summoned a towel, tossing it to her. With a twitch, she misted the towel with cold water and wiped down her face with it.

"You know, it's amusing to me, in a very ironic sort of way," Severus said. He stopped speaking, as if his statement made perfect sense without explanation, and continued his preparations to leave. She sighed, knowing his game: he wasn't going to elaborate until she asked for more.

"What is?" she asked. She slipped her school vest back on and Vanished the towels, not noticing the almost pensive look her tutor was giving her.

"Had you told me a week ago I would actually _enjoy_ working with a female, I would have laughed myself silly." He paused, frowning. "Then, under the impression that you were sent by Potter and his gang, hexed you. Not that it matters now."

Wisely, Kagumi decided not to comment on the slight against her friends. Besides, she wasn't speaking to Potter and Remus could barely look at her without scowling—which, sadly, was an improvement from him not looking at her at all. Instead, she decided to take it as intended.

"The Gryffindor bit doesn't bother you?" she asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"I have already told you. You are no Gryffindor."

She sighed in exasperation; arguing with Severus, something she'd gotten much practice at over the last week and a half, was like arguing with a brick wall. "Severus, I'm terribly sorry about having to break this to you, but I. Am. A. Gryffindor."

"No," he said, opening the doorway and exiting from the magical room. "I simply refuse to believe it."

She regarded him wryly, trying not to smile too much. "I have a lion on my chest and I was Sorted into Gryffindor. I'm afraid that makes me a Gryffindor, love."

"No, the Hat was mistaken. It was tricked by your ridiculous comrades. You belong in Slytherin."

"I do _not_ belong in Snake City," she chided, shoving his shoulder very gently.

"Snake City?" he barked a laugh, and turned the corner of fifth floor, heading down the stairs. She jumped the last few stairs before he did, giving a smug smirk as he tried to mimic her and wound up stumbling. She outright snickered when he turned to glare at her, tugging her braid as she passed him.

"Oi. The hair does not get touched," she warned, with a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Pheonix. Have you taken any food or beverage from Black? He can't be trusted."

Kagumi poked him in the arm. "Don't make me hex you."

"Defending Black's honor?" he drawled. "Perhaps you do have some Gryffindor tendencies. Slytherins aren't known for saving females in distress."

"Well, someone has to do it. So, leave my Siri alone."

"Or what?" he asked, a slight curvature of his lips belying the flat tone of his voice.

"Or… I'll take photos of you with that sixth year Slytherin with the unibrow and spread them all over the school," she finished with a smile; as she crossed her arms over her chest, he slowed his gait and then wiped a hand across his mouth. It didn't erase the smile completely.

"I don't know how you'd take those photos. It's never happened."

"I never said it had to actually happen."

"See? Lies, threats, manipulation, even blackmail."

"Blackmail?" she widened her eyes. "Blackmail? That's such a _dirty_ word." Kagumi's lips stretched to form a purely predatory smirk. "But I won't deny it."

"Told you," the pair reached the Great Hall doors and flung them open, her smiling broadly and him looking… not so "swoopy," as Sirius liked to refer to him. She had to admit, the billowing black robes that had probably made him look so formidable as a teacher simply made him look… small and waifish as a student. She'd have to correct that. As they walked through the hall, the two clasped hands and shook, departing.

"Oi, Pheonix!" she turned back around to look at him. "Slytherin!"

Rolling her eyes, Kagumi plopped down next to Sirius, cheerfully ruffled his hair (looking for the glare she usually received in turn) and grabbed the nearest jug of juice.

"So, what's on the agenda for today? I think we should prank the fourth floor corrid– Siri? Sirius?" She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, which were slightly glazed, and finally all but clambered into his lap. The hissing of several females in the Hall, which had begun when she'd first touched him, intensified to a loud enough state that would imply an air leak to anyone paying attention. "Sirius love, what's wrong?"

"What?" Sirius shook his head and glanced up from the paper, which he'd apparently stolen from James and begun absent-mindedly shredding the edges while he read it with an unusual amount of concentration. "Gumi, when did you come down?"

"A few minutes ago. What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know either, but he hasn't stopped reading, and Jet's pretty much catatonic too," Peter chirped, nibbling delicately at his toast. He didn't seem too concerned with situation, or he was just waiting until after his meal to deal with it.

Kagumi looked at Jet and noticed worriedly that her knuckles were white and her eyes seemed unusually large and solemn in her stark white face. "Bridget?" The witch whirled on James. "Potter, what the _hell_ did you do to her?"

A mouthful of orange juice, which wound up soaking the back of the borrowed Prophet ("Everybody is abusing my paper," Kamal remarked irritably. "Well if they want to abuse it, they can pay me the five Knuts!" Lily hid a smile behind her goblet and wisely said nothing.), and James turned to her, only to find her wand already drawn. Several students tensed, either to get a better look at what was sure to be a good fight, or to dodge any tricky area spell effects.

"I didn't do anything to her!" he said, loudly.

"Yeah, right. Why should I believe that? You don't think about other people; how would you even _know _if you'd done something?"

James froze. Pointing one shaking finger at the Prophet, which had not moved in Bridget's white-knuckled hand, he ground out, "_That_ is what has her so wonky and you'd know it if _you _bothered to ask her or even just _look_!"

The crease between Gumi's eyebrows deepened as she gently tugged the Daily Prophet out of her friend's hand and scanned the front page. Sirius had abandoned his seat to slide in next to Bridget, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and speaking in a soft, soothing voice to the girl while Kagumi read. Suddenly, the Irish witch gasped loudly, and pulled the Daily Prophet closer to her face, as if seeing whether the words would change.

Tired of being accused by the witch, who was now mouthing words as she read to herself, and tired from not sleeping well since the argument a week and a half ago, James gave up on breakfast. He briefly made sure Sirius seemed to have Bridget in hand before he turned around, tossed a half-signed comment over his shoulder towards Sirius and strode out the door.

"Where did Prongs go?" Peter asked.

"Where does Prongs _always_ go when he's angry?" Sirius asked wryly.

"Quidditch Pitch," they answered in unison.

"What?" she muttered in disbelief, not quite believing the article that had been printed. She whirled on Peter, who seemed to be the only one capable of speech. "Where's Remus?"

"Uh, he said something about dueling not being healthy, and stalked out of the hall," the poor frightened boy squeaked.

Excited, Kagumi thrust her hand into Sirius's bag and pulled out the same grubby parchment from summer. She waved it almost violently in Peter's face, demanding that he activate it. He did so with a shaking hand, sighing in relief when she turned away from him, her green eyes swirling with different shades as she scanned the map looking for one particular name.

"Be back later, he's gotta see this!" And she was gone, in a whirlwind as quickly as she'd come.

Severus's eyes followed her, ruefully wondering when the Gryffindor girl had wormed her way into his good graces. Even if she did hang around with Potter's friends a bit much for his liking, she seemed to have things under control. He wouldn't insult her by invading unless she was threatened. However, he thought as he rubbed his left shoulder where a well-placed jinx had struck earlier that morning, not much seemed to break through her defenses.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Sirius asked for the fifth time since they'd arrived at the pitch.

Bridget gave him a small smile. She still felt out of sorts from that morning—not that she was going to admit that to him – but was slowly getting better. She shifted uncomfortably; she could already feel the glares from the girls who were inevitably staring at her being fussed over by Sirius and James when they were obviously there to fly and she'd rather not draw it out.

"I'll be fine." As long as angry fangirls didn't kill her while she waited.

James frowned down at her; even he seemed concerned about something other than the broom in his hand, which was bound to have rumors flying. "Just call if you want to go inside or something. This isn't that important."

"Really now, James, are you feeling alright?" Bridget drawled, arching an eyebrow with a sardonic quirk of a smile. "You do realize you just put someone above your precious Quidditch?"

"Yes," he replied in a defensive voice as Sirius laughed, feeling much better now that she was joking around. "I do know what's more important than Quidditch." He shrugged. "Not much, of course, but you are on that list."

"I'm honored, but I have some homework to do, so I'm squared away. I like doing my work outside anyways, although it is a bit colder than—" Bridget stopped speaking and blinked in surprise. That was fast. And a bit unexpected. "Sirius, I didn't mean that—"

Sirius pushed his hair out of his face, the strands falling back into place after being so unceremoniously ruffled.

"No," he said. "Take it."

His gray eyes glanced up at her before darting back down and, if she hadn't known better, Bridget would've thought he was blushing. He seemed almost embarrassed by his actions, but Sirius Black didn't get embarrassed and he definitely did not blush.

She pulled the dark blue jumper over her head. It was too big, almost long enough to qualify as a rather short dress with the arms extending several inches pass her fingertips, but it was warm from his own body heat and, overall, a sweet gesture.

"Thanks."

Abruptly, Bridget threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself close. Sirius barely had time to register the feel of her body against his before she let go, tugging—in his opinion—rather adorably at the sleeves of her—his—jumper as she settled on the grass with her school things. There was something about seeing her in his clothes that was—

"Sirius," James called sharply. Sirius started and turned towards the voice. He sighed; his friend was giving him a much too knowing look, arms crossed smugly over his chest. "Ready?" he asked.

Sirius didn't respond, instead stalking pass him in what he hoped was a dignified fashion. He wasn't running away at all. Nope. Still, that didn't stop James from chuckling as he followed.

* * *

Sadly, Bridget was having fun with her homework. She'd never really enjoyed schoolwork before— only doing it because it was required and usually finding it painfully easy— but the assignments at Hogwarts were… fun. Interesting. Magical theory, and all the possibilities they held in conjunction with Muggle science, was a challenge.

It was because she was so enthralled with her History assignment that she barely realized that two hours had already passed and she didn't notice at all when someone sat down next to her.

Regulus regarded the girl with curiosity. There hadn't been anyone before who'd been able to capture his brother's interest and there was something about her—as well as the other American Sirius had been connected to—that was different. Intriguing.

"Is that History?"

She startled, looking up at him with wide, brown eyes that had Regulus understanding what had his brother so captivated. She really was beautiful in all the proper ways; if Sirius could get her, he might be able to revive his status within the family. Legally, he was still the Heir (his mother hadn't been able to take that away without his father's permission), but he wasn't recognized by anyone, not until he begged for forgiveness—and no Black ever begged.

On her part, Bridget was breathing heavily after nearly jumping out of her skin at the voice and tried not to groan when she realized what was going on. Oh, bother. This was going to be fun if Sirius or James ever bothered to check on her.

They'd tended to their own injured pride after the fourth or fifth time that James flew across and asked if she was alright, and whether she would reconsider a position as Beater. Mysteriously, the moment he asked that final time, the Quidditch case – which had so far remained closed – chose that moment to release both Bludgers into the air, and she had a moment of peace.

Until now.

"Um, yes, it is."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, slowly letting herself relax. She could work with this. Of course she could. He wasn't doing anything to harm her, after all, and she only had to shout to get the boys' attention.

"I apologize." God, he sounded like Sirius. "I didn't mean to startle you."

He even looked like his older brother, especially with the concerned look he was currently giving her. At least he didn't exude the quiet sensuality his brother did. Bridget tried to give the Slytherin a small, reassuring smile, although she wasn't sure how she did. "It's fine. I was just a little caught up in the research."

"Really? Not many people are too interested in our past," he replied. "Most wizards and witches are entirely too focused on the present and future, regarding our history with little respect."

She was starting to be able to pick out the differences. Regulus spoke with a much more refined, aristocratic edge that Sirius had probably worked hard to cut out of his speech. He was also more distanced, calculated in his actions and words. Sirius seemed proud to look, as Kagumi had put it one day, "sextacularly scruffy", while Regulus took pains to look well-groomed and high-bred. It amused, and reassured the Gryffindor to see the differences.

"That," Bridget started nervously, "that's rather unfortunate. History gives clues to how the future can play out. If one does not know one's history, than one does not know one's roots and cannot learn from previous mistakes."

Regulus smiled at her and suddenly looked like his own man rather than a more faded copy of his brother. "I couldn't agree more, Miss Griffins."

She was so going to regret this later.

"Please, call me Bridget."

* * *

She was regretting it. Sirius and Regulus were less than a foot apart, throwing barbs at each other with such force and speed that it almost seemed rehearsed. Bridget sighed and rubbed her forehead where her headache was building. It would probably be easier if she just didn't talk to anyone. She could do that for the remainder of the year: keep her head down and finish her schooling.

"Are you okay?" Of course, she hadn't taken into account the Marauders' (or Kagumi's) stubborn attitudes. She wouldn't last a day with them hounding her.

"I'm fine, James." She looked up at him pleadingly, trying to block out the sounds of the argument in the background; it wasn't working well. "Do they do this often?"

James grinned apologetically. "Pretty much whenever they speak to each other. It's a bit of a brotherly ritual."

"Ah," she said, voice lined with despair. "Wouldn't want to get in the way of fraternal bonding."

There was a particularly loud explosion from the arguing Blacks, right next to her and James, that had Bridget spin around. "_HEY!" _she shouted at the pair. "Cut it out!"

Graced with their full attention, she stepped between the pair, although it wouldn't do much if they decided to keep fighting as both boys were several inches taller than her…. Not that it stopped her in the least, of course.

"Now," she continued in what she believed was a perfectly calm voice, but was rather frightening for all the males around her, "what is it you two are arguing about? I'm afraid I stopped listening when you began shouting at each other in _French_. My limited skills, unfortunately, don't extend to swearing." No one said anything and Bridget crossed her arms over her chest. "Go on."

"My prat of a brother," Sirius started through gritted teeth, "seems to think— given the small possibility that he actually _can _think--"

"Ta gueule!"

"Je m'en fou—"

"_What _did I _say _about French cursing!" Bridget interrupted loudly. She snapped her fingers and pointed at Regulus. "You. State the disagreement in one sentence with no commentary."

"Sirius thinks that American magic is based on natural, elemental magic whereas I know it to be almost exactly like our own in England."

Bridget stared between the two boys, who were—not that they'd ever accept it—standing it exactly the same position with exactly the same looks on their faces while James, wisely, stayed out of it. She began to laugh.

"Oh, God, you're both such idiots. It's amazing. First of all, technically we're in Scotland, but that's inconsequential. Secondly, did no one think to ask the American present? Whatever. It doesn't matter, now. You're both wrong," she let that sink in before grinning, "and you're both right. Native magic is very elemental, and still taught in schools, but their educational system is based off of the one you have here for obvious colonial reasons."

"See!" Sirius said triumphantly.

"I was right, too."

He rolled his eyes. "If that's what you want to believe. I said _American _magic is elemental. Native Americans are obviously what I was talking about, the others emigrated from here anyways."

"They're a majority of the populace!"

"But it's not really _American _magic."

"Ne fait pas le con."

Bridget did not look happy, and James was wise (and experienced) enough to see it. He was also the only one paying any attention to her, as both Sirius and Regulus were too busy hurling whatever insults they could think of at each other over her head.

"I HAVE HAD _ENOUGH _WITH YOU SELF-OBSESSED JACKASSES!" she yelled, loud enough to startle the Black brothers into shutting the hell up. Bridget rarely, if ever, shouted or swore. She took a deep breath, continuing in a quieter voice that was just as frightening as the yelling had been. "Now, you two can do whatever the hell you want to, but I'm leaving. You're both being complete and utter idiots and I'm done with it. Stay here and shout yourselves hoarse with your ridiculous, childish argument.

"I'm going to find the others. Probably in the library."

With that she turned and walked off. James gave Sirius an apologetic look. "She just started not being upset over the thing with Gumi." He smiled in a distinctly dreamy fashion causing Regulus to snort derisively; by now, every single person in the entire school knew what that look meant. "And Lily might be in the library."

Sirius resisted the urge to copy his brother and scoff at his besotted best friend as he scurried after Bridget's quickly retreating form. It was a little disgusting the way he mooned after her all the time.

"Just go after her, Sirius," Regulus said suddenly. He sounded a bit pained. When Sirius turned towards him, his brother scowled. "The school may think Potter's loony over her—which he might be, if he's over that strange Muggleborn fascination—and that you're with that Pheonix girl, but I know better. If you don't chase after her now, she may never forgive you."

Sirius stared skeptically at his younger brother. "What about you? You seem awfully smitten."

"Oh, please." He rolled his eyes. "It's not _my_ jumper she ran off in."

* * *

"Finally!" Kagumi's voice rang out, exasperated and a tad worried; it was a combination Remus was quickly getting used to. He sighed, pushing away from the now-blank stretch of wall, glad that the Room of Requirement melted back into solid stone whenever someone exited it.

"Yes," he replied mildly. "What's wrong?"

"I have been waiting out here for_ever_," she had her hands on her hips and Remus's lips twitched; anyone else seeing this scene could get the wrong sort of idea about their connections. "I had Peter activate the Map so I could find you. Then I waited out here for nearly two hours! What were you doing?"

"Why were you waiting for me in the first place?" Remus asked, crossing his arms. The girl might be growing on him, but he wasn't going to tolerate nagging. "I was looking for you and Snape, then got caught up in something."

"Well, I wanted to ask you," he felt slightly worried about the triumphant gleam in her hazy green eyes, and with apprehension, he noticed the hands clasped behind her back. "Remember that discussion we had a couple of nights ago?"

Remus thought back and snatches of heated words, heated but not angry, came to mind. He nodded slowly, reflecting.

* * *

"_You can be so damned dense sometimes!" Kagumi threw herself into the chair in front of Remus. "I heard one of the Ravenclaws tried to ask you out to Hogsmeade."_

"_Yeah, so?" Remus really didn't feel like arguing the point with her; he'd already spent the day trying to ignore dirty glares from Sirius and James both. And __there was __something about dating a Ravenclaw, not that he was prejudiced, especially such a blonde innocent like the one who had asked him out,__ that__ simply rubbed him the wrong way. If he did date anyone, he wanted an equal, someone who could and would meet him on any grounds, someone who could challenge him, and keep life interesting__, not someone who just wanted a brave Gryffindor boy to keep her safe__. _

"_Why didn't you accept?" she asked, sinking back further into the comfy-ness of the squishy chair. "I mean, from what I heard she was really into you."_

"_I just… I don't date," he said shortly He had a sinking suspicion, nebulous and vaguely terrifying, that he already knew what standards anyone would be held up to._

"_Let me guess," she drawled, sounding far too much like a Slytherin for his tastes. "Something to with your furry little problem?"_

_Remus said nothing, simply pulled out his latest homework assignment, which wasn't due for two weeks, and began to pull out textbooks. She nodded, satisfied with his answer, or apparent lack of one._

"_Remus, you don't think anyone can accept you as you are, do you?" she asked softly, sipping daintily on one of the leftover Butterbeers from their first night at school. "Why?"_

"_Because I am a _monster_," he answered sharply, throwing a dagger glance at her over the book. Who was this strange girl to question him so, to dig and dig and dig until she found that one little scab that had never been healed? Who was she to _dare_? _

_Uncrossing her legs, Kagumi sat up suddenly, and Remus almost expected her to throw herself at him. When she did nothing but sit there, he flushed, wondering why that image wasn't quite as repellent as it might have been months ago. He found himself staring as her skirt revealed a bit of leg, and licked at his suddenly dry lips. "Remus, are you listening to me?" she asked calmly._

"_Of course." _**Like I have a choice**_, he thought distantly._

"_You. Are. Not. A monster."_

_The words took a moment to hit his brain. "What?"_

"_You're not a monster, Remus." Kagumi bit her upper lip, and Remus found himself fascinated by the flash of teeth in the dim Common Room. "Just because you are forced to change shape does not make you a monster." _

"_Oh really?" his tone was sarcastic, and biting, more like the attitude he'd had when she first arrived in the Marauders' lives. "Do go on." He was pleased to see the fire flash in her smoky eyes. She sat up with a viciousness that belied her delicate features, and pointed one thin finger at him. _

"_Let me ask you this, Lupin," the use of his last name wasn't lost on the Gryffindor; they'd been on a terse first name basis for a while now, and though it stung, he refused to let her see. "Did you have a choice in the matter?"_

_He stared at her. "Say what?"_

"_Listen very plainly, m'dear, so that I don't have to repeat myself in order to get through your rather thick skull: did you have a choice in being bitten?"_

_He shook his head, wondering where in the world she was going with this. _

"_And did you march your tiny little feet right up to Fenrir _shab'la_ Greyback and ask him to bite you?"_

_Mutely, Remus shook his head again. She was just building up steam, and as she leaned forward, he shrank back into his chair. Something about this conversation bugged him, but with her finger approaching his eyes at a dangerous vector, he wasn't too pushed to contemplate it until he felt safe again. _

"_So let me ask, since I'm so sure that my pretty little brain simply _couldn't_ make any connections," Kagumi's tone could have melted through eight cauldrons and kept going, so acidic was it. "If you had no choice, and you didn't ask for this, how on EARTH can you keep blaming yourself?"_

"_Because! I just…" Chest heaving, Remus looked forlornly at the girl. She'd backed him into a mental corner, and he knew it. It gave him a sort of perverse joy to know that she really could match him in wits. Not saying anything, not trusting himself to speak, he lowered his gaze._

"_I can't put someone through that," he said softly. "I just… I can't."_

"_You think no one will accept you, right?" came her voice from above him. He said nothing._

_Gently, oh so tenderly, he felt a sharp-pointed nail underneath his chin, reminding him of the girl's formidable strength; this strange softness unnerved him. He slowly raised his eyes to look at her, with her hand under his chin and her warm, soothing scent so very close. She was so close… _**Just a little further**_, he thought wildly, heart pounding against his ribs._

"_Listen to me, Remus Lupin. Are you listening?" He nodded carefully, aware that her sharp nails were close to his jugular; for some reason, it excited him. "You are not a monster. You are not alone anymore." When he saw her leaning towards him, saw her eyes close, his heart jumped. _

_And shivered when he felt her soft lips caress his forehead. She whispered against his skin, coming down to look him in the eye; for one fierce moment, he imagined grabbing her and sinking deep into the softness of the…_

_It took a minute for his overheating brain to realize that she was speaking. "What?"_

_With a tender, warmly inscrutable expression, she stroked his cheek with her thumb, sending shivers down his spine. "I said, _I_ accept you."

* * *

_

"Yes, I remember it," he replied cautiously, refusing to remember the sorts of dreams he'd rather not acknowledge that he had. "What of it?"

"Remember how I said I accept you?"

_**This is it**_, he thought sadly. _**This is where she tells me that **_–

"You were wrong."

"I know. Listen, I'm sure that if you ask Professor Dumbledore, he could remove the knowledge from your memor – What?"

"I said," she repeated, striving for patience; she couldn't wait to see his face. "You. Were. Wrong."

"How so?" Remus asked.

"You said no one could accept you, and in turn, that no one could accept werewolves in general. But I found this." She thrust the slightly damp Daily Prophet at him.

**Pride and Prejudice**

"_Sometimes, when there's nothing else, pride is all that is left."_

Hope is a powerful thing. As long as one has hope, one has a future and a life. However, there are times when hope is scarce. This is especially harmful to those who should have the most hope: children new to the world and it's wonders or young adults with their entire lives in front of them and several paths to choose from.

It only takes one moment for those paths to, abruptly and unexpectedly, close to them. That hope can be cruelly snatched in one, single second on a cold, cloudless night. Sometimes, the intention is spiteful and vindictive, planned to the smallest detail. But, it can also be a sad twist of fate, a loose board or unlocked door that condemns a soul.

"My God," Remus said. He wondered when someone, almost certainly Kagumi, had tugged him to sit against the wall with her; he was quite positive that he might have fallen over from shock otherwise.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Her petite face was glowing, and Remus realized just how close she was to him; he could feel the body heat radiating off of her through his clothing.

"What is?" he asked, slightly dazed; her scent was much stronger today, augmented by something delicious smelling. Lotion, or perfume of a sort. It smelled heavenly.

"Remus? Lupin? Rem?" she snapped her fingers in front of his face, recalling his attention from the pleasantly drowsy daydreams he'd been indulging in. "Remus?"

"Yeah?"

"I said, it's amazing, isn't it?"

"Of course," he replied absently, taking in her scent again by shifting just slightly closer, under the pretense of looking at the article again. "What is, again?"

She spared him a disgusted glance. "Someone— this Gryphons person— is taking lycanthropes and making them human again. They're taking the prejudices and exposing them to light, showing them as falsehoods and lies and…" She trailed off, looking into his eyes. When she unexpectedly laid her hand on his knee, he swallowed with some difficulty. "Remus, this could change all of the laws and rights relating to Lycanthropy and its victims."

"I am a werewolf, and I'm not even sure I know all of them," he muttered, trying to gather his wits.

A mischievous smile lit her eyes from within and Remus felt as though he'd swallowed a Flutterby Bush. Or three. And suddenly, he didn't care overly much just how much trouble she got him into, so long as she was in it too. He smiled at her, really smiled at her for the first time, and Kagumi took a breath. His eyes… she thought with desperation. She found herself drawing nearer, and then suddenly she pulled away. He couldn't help but feel a little betrayed when she stood.

And then she grabbed his hand.

"Come on, we've got to get to the library!"

What? The library? Sirius had always said good things about the privacy of book stacks. And at the moment, privacy was something on the forefront of Remus Lupin's mind.

* * *

Raminus snickered as he surfaced from the depth of Remus Lupin's cerebral cortex, and looked towards his best friend. Cordan raised one eyebrow, observing Bridget in one of the Mirrors, and signed a question.

"Yes, I look very happy with myself, Cor."

"And why?"

Raminus sighed blissfully, confident that nothing could go wrong. "Playing with the male psyche can be _so_ amusing."

* * *

Remus was finding the way she sat so close to him, pointing out things in the books she'd pulled, very distracting. He hadn't gotten anything done so far and it was because Kagumi was practically touching him the entire time, brushing his hip every time she turned to get another book. With a grunt, she heaved a heavy one and let it thud on the table. A familiar brown head looked up, as well as two other equally familiar heads, at the sound.

"Gumi?" Bridget asked.

"Heya, Gums," Sirius waved. James grunted, and pushed away from the table they were all sitting at. Kagumi also stood up, and Remus could practically feel the tension beginning to build. Seeing a flash of red hair behind Kagumi – their table was closest to the aisle – James began to attempt going around her.

"Let me through, Pheonix."

"What for?" she spat irritably. "Lily is studying with Kamal. You will not ruin it. We have a big History of Magic test next week."

"Oh, is that why you have all those books down?" Sirius asked, before glancing at one of the titles; Kagumi deftly slid the title away from prying eyes. Eyebrows raised, Sirius began to reassess the way his two friends were standing.

Remus was half out of his seat, one hand reached out and resting on Kagumi's back. Kagumi's spine was stiff, shoulders squared, and her eyes defiant enough that even a Death Eater might think twice about taking her on at the moment. Her fist was loosely curled, and Sirius knew just how fast she could draw her wand. Remus's golden eyes were focused on Kagumi in a way Sirius had never seen, and the sometimes-canine decided that it would be a good time to do a sniff check.

Subtly, he inhaled the scents in the room, catching parchment, ink, sweat, chocolate (Remus, of course; it was a rare day when Remus Lupin did not have some form of chocolate on his person), a nice-smelling lotion, and anger. But underneath that was…the scent of fading –

Sirius coughed to hide his shock.

It had finally happened. Remus had finally found _that_ spark with someone, and the scent of fading lust was slow to dissipate. It was very faint, cancelled out by the anger, but still lingering oh so slightly. Emotions warring within his chest, Sirius relooked at the seemingly casual way Remus's touch graced that sensitive spot on her back, the one she didn't even let _him_ touch.

And everything clicked.

"Pheonix, either I can go around you, or I can go through you," James warned.

"You think so, Potter? Draw the line, then."

Oh right. James and Kagumi were fighting. Again.

"Much as we adore hearing yet _another_ of your fights, some of us are trying to study!" one of the fourth years, a Ravenclaw by the look of the precise notes on the table, shouted irritably.

"Oh, bugger off!" Peter yelled, shocking everyone in the vicinity; Peter never raised his voice. He might not agree with what his friends were doing, but he figured it was their problem, and no one who didn't know the backstory behind it shouldn't interfere.

Lily heard the grumbling, angry voices and looked up; actually it would be more accurate to say that every single student in the immediate vicinity looked up. A few nervous looking first years, two third years, and a mixture of older students watched as Kagumi tensed again. It was only a matter of time. Lily whispered something to Kamal, who winced, and she stood up, intent on snarling her way into the conversation; one Gryffindor fighting over her had been enough, and now things were just getting ridiculous. She heard James -- dammit, _Potter_ -- growl angrily.

"Let me through," he growled.

"Prove your mettle, Jamsie boy. You made the threat. Either carry it through, or back down." Kagumi's right arm tensed as James made to push past her. There was a sickening thwack as her painfully strong right hook lashed out nearly quicker than the eye. Remus winced, smelling the blood from James's nose where it was either broken or bloodied. _Those duels did pay off, I suppose_, he thought ironically as Kagumi nursed her scraped knuckles. It wasn't until a loud slam resounded through the Library and their heads turned to Bridget, who was standing much too calmly at the head of the table, leaning heavily on a large, leather-bound book. They suddenly remembered what she'd said about the next time they fought.

She let out a shaky breath and rubbed her forehead with one hand. "I'm getting flashbacks to junior year," she muttered to herself.

After another unsteady breath, Bridget looked coolly up at the pair. "You two do realize how ridiculous you're being, right?" She arched an eyebrow and James, as if he felt compelled to answer, shook his head. She let out a bitter laugh that had everyone around the table flinching.

"You're not even arguing about anything substantial! You've let a freaking minor annoyance that resulted from too much alcohol consumption blow up into this huge _battle_ that you… you expect us to take sides in. I mean, it's…" She shook her head, sounding close to tears. "I can't do this." When she looked up at them, they could see that she actually was almost in tears. "I just don't have the _energy _to deal with this utterly _absurd _situation! Not again."

Without another word, she spun around and stalked out.

Sirius sighed. Crap.

"Now look wud you dud!" James said thickly, hauling himself to his feet. He sat down, ironically enough at the same table, and looked with horror at his bloody hand. "God that HURDS!"

"Your own fault," Kagumi muttered, conjuring a large stack of gauze pads for him to wipe his nose on. She looked at Remus apologetically. "They say never to hit someone with a closed fist, but it can, on occasion, be hilarious." Remus cracked a grin.

"I'd bet James's face feels slightly differently." The two of them chuckled softly, still feeling out this new tension between them. Unfortunately, James didn't hear the comments, only the laughter.

"Is not fuddy!" James wiped his nose irritably, wincing when they all heard the grinding of cartilage. Kagumi looked guilty, and for the first time since the fight, actually started thinking about exactly what Bridget had said.

"I'm sorry, James."

"No, dur dot!" he said incredulously.

"Well, I sorta am," she said sheepishly. Remus grabbed one of the gauze pads and Kagumi's right hand. Ignoring James, who was still whining about his nose, Remus focused on the rapidly swelling knuckles in front of him. James looked incredulously over at the two, Remus who seemed absorbed in the girl, and the girl, who seemed intent on not looking Remus in the eyes, blushing in a way that none of them had seen since the Twister incident at her birthday.

"You could have hurt yourself," the golden-eyed Marauder said softly as he siphoned James's blood off her knuckles, brushing them tenderly as he bandaged them up with a roll of gauze.

"What does it matter?" James asked sourly, having begged Sirius to fix his nose. "Not like you really care about her, Moony." He flashed a grin at Remus, when Kagumi's eyes went coldly blank. That grin lacked anything that made grins pleasant, and was full of something neither Remus, Sirius, nor Lily Evans – who was making her cautious way over to the bristling Gryffindors – had ever expected to see on James Potter's face: malice.

With careful precision, lest she hurt him, Kagumi tugged her half-bandaged hand away from Remus's grasp and stood violently. Just as she was about to go over the table at James, again, Remus grabbed her waist and Sirius smacked James in the back of the head.

"You idiot -- "

"Rem, let me GO!"

"Gumi, hon, just --"

"James -- " Lily tried to get her voice in.

As the students collided, there was a loud bang and acrid smoke billowed through the Library, engulfing the fighting Gryffindors. Remus slumped down, coughing heavily. He felt two thuds near him, and closed his eyes. _**I feel so strange**_, he thought dizzily. He heard the others coughing, heard them trying to breathe, and felt slightly better. _**But I don't think any of us were injured**_.

Relieved with that, Remus was able to lean against the bookshelf he'd fallen against, and let his dazed mind and stinging eyes recover from whatever had happened this time. A short time later, he was not sure how very long, he rubbed at his eyes, using the other hand to try and clear the thick, stinging smoke from their area; unable to find his wand, he called out, "Use your hands to try and fan the smoke out." His voice sounded odd, higher pitched and a bit more…something. He pegged it to an aftereffect of the spell, or charm, or whatever had exploded.

He felt a little odd about waving his hands around like a buffoon at first. The feeling of uneasiness grew manifold when he caught sight of his hands. While Remus's hands had never been bulky, having what his mother preferred to call musician's hands, they had not been exactly what one might call "delicate" either. But now, that had changed.

Previously, his knuckles were swelling from being so close to the full moon, and his fingers over all had looked inflamed. Now… His nails extended beyond the tip of his finger, ending in a slightly curved tip. More shocking, however, was the bright pink tint of the nail, and the slenderness of the fingers. Frightened, and morbidly curious, his eyes traced the line of a shapely arm that simply could not belong to him. Remus's line of sight traveled to his shoulder and then…down.

Dear. God.

He was absolutely positive that he'd never had _those_ before.

He would have noticed that. Right?

And then Sirius's voice rang out. "What the… _fuck_?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Alright, so there it is. I'm so sorry it took so long to get it out, such hectic things have been happening, in both of your slaving authors' lives. But there it is, and we're working a very special treat for you readers. See, on the side of DIN, Jet and I have been working on other stories, one of which turned into a Raminus and Cordan mess up again thing. It was meant to be a plot bunny, I think, but it turned serious. Well, as serious as those two ever get. So we were going to wait originally until after the completion of the first book of DIN, but we decided that it should be safe enough to go ahead and post it.

Look for it soon!

~Kagumi


	19. What Could Have Happened

**Chapter Eighteen:** What Could Have Happened

_"In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain." --Pliny the Elder

* * *

_

Bridget had never laughed so hard in her life.

Ever.

After several more joyfully painful minutes, she regained control of her breathing enough to sit up and, wiping the tears out of her eyes, looked back up only to dissolve into tears of mirth once more. This time she doubled over, falling on her side with her arms wrapped around her cramping stomach.

"You can stop laughing now, you know," the mellifluous voice said, sounding feminine and sensual, though terribly annoyed.

A pair of long shapely legs swam through her watery field of vision, ending in small, delicate feet, one of which was tapping out an irritated staccato. Behind the legs, or rather, on top of them sat an attractive, freckled face, with sparkling hazel eyes framed by long black lashes, and a long tail of messy black hair. She was the type of girl who would be described as "cute."

"Bridget, I'm _serious_," she moaned. She sounded at her wits' end.

"Actually, you're James," the boy behind the "girl" said.

He had long red hair, blowing in the wind and showing golden highlights. A long, perfectly Roman nose accented his face, making him seem almost unapproachably handsome. Lean, but not scrawny, his build suggested either very good genetics or at least a few hours working out every week. But there was something strangely familiar about his eyes… his… emerald green eyes.

"At least you're," Bridget took a deep, steadying breath, trying to stifle the giggles, "you're hot." And she was lost to peals of enjoyment again.

"But, I'm still hotter," a higher-pitched, yet still recognizable voice added. "Of course." The girl who'd spoken was absolutely beautiful, the kind of beauty that had more than likely inspired duels to the death in old days. High boned cheeks, and clear grey eyes riding beneath artistically arched brows she blinked at the sudden attention. The girl who had been James Potter turned to glare at his— her—best friend.

"Well, I _am_," Sirius said defensively.

"Sirius, I do not know you." James turned back to Bridget, who was battling to take a deep breath, still laughing every time she looked at what had become of the group of Gryffindors. "You should not be this happy about our... our _changes_!"

"You just identified me by name, Prongs, so you can't claim that you don't know me," Sirius's voice was, sadly, painfully triumphant. There was a loud gasp from the ground, where Bridget was still sprawled.

"Oh, God, it hurts," she said between giggles. "Can't… breathe… too… funny!"

"Jetty, you need to breathe," James dropped to her knees, turning Bridget over onto her back. "Breathe, love, just breathe."

"Oh God, James, that's really not helping," she said, gripping the girl's hand. Abruptly, she sat up, wiping her eyes for the last time. "Hm… that's just weird. I can't go around calling you James anymore, not until we get this figured out, at any rate."

"So…what does that mean?" James asked suspiciously.

"Names," Jet said simply.

"You're going to give us _names_?" Lily asked, voice thick with undisguised horror.

"Of course. What if it takes a while to get you all right and proper?" She didn't seem to notice the surprised looks on their faces as she considered them. "Let's see... I believe I shall start with Sirius." She thought for a moment, lips pursed prettily, and Sirius barely had to time to wonder if it was wrong that she still wanted to kiss her when she clapped her hands excitedly, looking for all the world like a delighted child at Yule. "I've got it! Sirena! Oh, that's brilliant."

Lily choked, hiding a smile.

"Lily now…" Bridget got up, and walked a slow circle around the girl-turned-boy, scrutinizing him with a single-mindedness that made Sirius uncomfortably jealous. "Two syllables. L… L… L… Oh! Leo."

Lily sighed and Bridget frowned at him. "You don't like it? That's my _grandfather's_ name."

"It's fi--"

"What about James?" Sirius asked. She wanted to see the smile Lily had taken away from Bridget's face again.

"Psht. That's an easy one." Bridget pinched James's cheek with undisguised glee. "Jamie."

The only two who hadn't spoken up, or indeed even moved much, were the ones standing in the shade, as far away from people as humanly possible without actually going vertical. The boy and girl were glued to each other in ways that bespoke of protection and claims. A golden haired, fair skinned girl was pressed tightly against a tanned, taller boy's chest. He wasn't muscular by any stretch of the imagination, but he certainly _was _fit, in a wiry sort of way; scrappy was the word that he brought to mind.

The boy radiated power and fury and when a group of goggling Hufflepuff boys passed by, staring at the girl so hard that one of them actually walked into the lake, the boy holding her growled menacingly. "Touch her, and I'll rip you to shreds," came a husky voice that was startlingly familiar.

"Didn't mean no harm, mate, but that's a right pretty friend you got there," the obvious leader, a boy they all recognized from class but didn't know by name, said, marching up to the Gryffindors.

"We'd rather like to get on a first name basis, if you know what I mean," one of the others said. He was either incredibly brave or stupid. Perhaps he was merely testosterone-driven. Bridget sighed; boys really were idiotic. This one seemed to have a death wish of some sort.

"No," the boy said shortly, wrapping his arms tighter around the girl, who squeaked and buried her face in his chest. "She's off-limits. Taken."

When the cradled girl looked up at Bridget, who was circling the two curiously, there was a jolt of recognition. She had the most captivating eyes, tinted an unusual golden color.

Bridget's eyebrows shot up. "Merlin, Remus, you're a gorgeous girl."

"I don't know how you handle this," the girl formerly known as Remus Lupin whispered with wide terrified eyes. Sadly, the horror only added to the damsel-in-distress appeal. "They never _stop_!"

"Shh," the black braided boy said, rubbing soothing circles across the girl's back; she buried her face against the boy's shoulder and continued to hide as best she could. "They'll have to go through me first, and you know that won't happen."

"Are you kidding me? You'd kill anyone who even tried to get near!" Sirius paused thoughtfully. "You almost did, actually."

"And that," Bridget said firmly, "is why you make friends with large, overprotective males, Rem which is precisely why your angry friend is so useful. It may cut down on opportunity, but it also serves as a very effective screening process."

"Hurt not lest ye be hurt," the last boy murmured, still sheltering Remus with his entire body. "Anyone who dares try will --" The entire group (aside from the still freaked-out Remus, who seemed to be listening to the reassuring voice with a desperation bordering on panic) tuned the boy out.

"Uh… right," Bridget muttered, raising an eyebrow at the display. She waved a dismissive hand. "Anyways… why don't we ignore the short-tempered crazy--"

"Is that why you're friends with us?" Jamie interrupted, frowning.

It took her a moment to figure out what he was talking about, but when she did, Bridget rolled her eyes. "Well, not right _now_. You're rather useless in this state, you know. With those legs, you'd hardly serve as a deterrent for anything." She sighed, eyeing the offending limbs sadly. "In fact, you need a longer skirt—you can use one of mine; it looks like they're about as long as mine and-- trust me on this-- you'll never get a proper, cerebral response from a male with those all," she gestured haphazardly, "all exposed."

"They are rather nice," Lily said, with a rueful smirk. Shocked, they all turned amused faces to him, James blushing slightly.

"Maybe you'll have better luck as a chick, Prongs!" Sirius said in an excited voice.

Bridget sighed. "Sirena, now is not the time to wonder if Jamie and Leo would make a cute couple."

Funnily enough, Sirius seemed to be taking this sudden transformation the best out of the group. Unfortunately—at least from her adventurous point of view—Bridget was a very conservative sort of girl, not at all likely to want to experiment. Kagumi, the boy sheltering Remus, almost smiled but quickly tamped down on the expression when Remus let out a soft whimper.

Lily glowered for several long moments. "Dammit, Black," he grumbled, crossing his arms—tightly fisted hands and all—across his chest.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"I'm no longer allowed to hit you."

"You can't?"

"Real men don't hit females, no matter how much she may deserve it. You're a she and I'm a he which means that this _must _be fixed. _Now._"

Bridget smiled brightly, being the only one in her proper form and, therefore, quite content. "Sounds good to me. Now we just must figure out precisely _how…_" She trailed off suggestively and they lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

"Gui, you haven't spoken up much back there!" Bridget called, looking back at the pair. "You know, aside from the normal death threats."

"Gui?" Kagumi asked caustically. "Gui?"

"Short for Guillerme and Spanish for William; I can't exactly call you Kagumi. After all, though you may look a tad feminine, you're most certainly male, with the shoulders and all." Without a word, Kagumi tucked Remus closer to his side and continued the glower he had mastered early on, seemingly ignoring the proceedings going on with the rest of the group. "Now, though, I believe it is time for us to thi—"

"Bridget!" a boy's voice called across the lawn, and the entire group turned to see a medium-height, slim Slytherin briskly striding towards Bridget with a book in his hand.

"Oh, boy," Bridget muttered, wide-eyed. Looking somewhat horrified, she put one hand on her reddening face. "What have I done to deserve this?"

"Oh, this is going to be hysterical," Lily said.

"Bridget, I was reading that chapter of the text we were talking about on the Quidditch Pitch, and I found something I thought I'd… show you…" Regulus Black trailed off, looking very intently at "Sirena."

"Who is that?" Regulus asked. Sirius turned and Regulus dropped the History text. The image would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he did the only thing that seemed sensible at the moment.

Regulus Black screamed like a girl.

* * *

"So, you've somehow managed to get yourselves into a gender reversal hex and you don't even know how?" Regulus threw back his head and laughed, until his 'sister' smacked him sharply on the head. The group was sitting, or rather, hiding, in an abandoned corridor and Regulus had invited himself along.

"Oi. This is not funny."

"Oh, I beg to differ, my dear brother – sister," Regulus said, not bothering to hide his amusement. "_I_ find it rather hilarious." He crossed his arms, smirking. "You realize you look like Mum about twenty years ago, right?"

"I do _not_ look like Mum, Regulus, so just... shut up," Sirius said, rather lamely. She appealed to Kagumi for help, with what could accurately be deemed puppy-dog eyes.

"I would shut _up_ now, _Reggie_," Kagumi growled. He still had Remus cradled on his lap.

"Is that Pheonix? Oh Merlin, for such a pretty girl you make a weird looking guy," he laughed again until he caught Kagumi's scowl.

"If your mouth and voice functions do not cease within the next three second, you will find yourself engaged in a no holds barred brawl," Kagumi threatened, shifting Remus around so that the position was more comfortable.

"I would very much appreciate it if you lot would stop arguing," Bridget said. The amusement had worn thin with Regulus's constant goading, and, as much as she enjoyed his company when he wasn't near any of her fellow Gryffindors, he was acting like a jerk. "Do you guys have any idea at all what could have happened?"

"We still don't know what happened," Lily said, arms crossed and slouched against the wall in typical guy fashion.

The group, aside from Regulus, had stopped by the thankfully empty Common Room to grab better fitting clothes. James was now in a regulation-length skirt, courtesy of Bridget, but she had refused to give up her shirt for one of the more fitted blouses the girls normally wore. Sirius had embraced the look and was even pushing the rules (as usual) with the length of her skirt and the fit of her blouse-- Bridget suspected the former playboy was enjoying the new effect she had on boys. The speculation was leading to some interesting areas of thought, though, so she steered away from them; now was not the time to contemplate.

Much to his mortification, Lily had discovered that Sirius was roughly the same size and that his uniform was a ridiculously good fit; he was sure that he was never going to live this down. Kagumi had slipped into some of Remus's trousers but her shoulders were a better fit for Sirius's shirts, so she was mismatched. And Remus… well, Remus had had to fit into Kagumi's uniform, since that was the only one small enough to fit him.

"Oh, I can guess," James said, rather darkly. His mood had dropped rather fast when he'd realized that he might very well be stuck like this.

"Oh, what do you think?" Lily asked, trying keep from looking; after all, James Potter was something to look at, even when he was a girl. It vexed her that he'd wormed his way into her thoughts lately.

"I have this theory."

* * *

"What the hell _did_ happen?" Cordan asked, looking at Raminus.

Raminus shrugged. "I dunno. I didn't even see the direction that the explosion came from."

Much to his friend's disamy, Cordan poked the instrument, then picked it up and started examining it in a rather haphazard way in his hands. "Can't we rewind this thing?"

"Well, we did before," Ram said. He snatched the Mirror back and waved his hand over it, which promptly began moving images backwards. Muttering irritably about silly Gryffindors who didn't know how to handle sensitive equipment, Ram peered intently into the Mirror, with Cordan's chin poking him sharply in the back as he craned over to look over Raminus's shoulder.

"There!" Cor said, pointing at the scene in the Library. "That boy! What is he doing?"

Ram sighed, panning the view to look at the contents of the fourth year's book. "He's being a boy, Cor."

Then the jet of light shot from the boy's wand and the shocked look on his face when he saw what the spell did, and to whom it affected, told them that whatever had happened, he didn't know what caused it. As Raminus zoomed in on the book, he sighed and showed Cordan.

"They're screwed."

* * *

"We are screwed," Kagumi said morosely, still holding tightly to Remus. "Completely, utterly, totally screwed."

"We're not screwed, Kagumi," James said defensively; they seemed to have arrived at a temporary, unspoken peace agreement until they were back in their own genders. "We have Remus's brilliance, my and Jet's plotting skill and Sirius's charm. There is absolutely nothing to worry about."

"I take it back," Kagumi said, nodding. "You're right, James. We're not screwed."

"See?" James said, stretching out her legs.

"We're doomed."

"Hey!"

The scuffle that would normally have taken place was interrupted as both parties went to attack each other and were reminded that they were rather different. With a flushed face, Kagumi sat with a huff and nestled Remus against his side again. "We've got to find a way to fix this."

"Yes," Remus moaned pitifully. "I can't survive this much longer."

"Where's the fourth member of the golden Gryffindors?" Regulus asked abruptly.

"Peter?" Jet asked. She thought about it, and realized that she hadn't seen him since she'd stormed off.

"He's…" James and Sirius shared a Look, and shook their heads. "He was in the library with us, I know that," Sirius said.

"Maybe he'd done a runner when he saw the, ah, new developments?" Jet asked, really confused now.

"No, the little tag-along --"

"_There_ you are," a slightly squeaky voice came from behind them. The entire group, Regulus included, looked up at Peter Pettigrew silhouetted against the bright light of the lamp. "Been searching the Map all over for you guys."

"You mean you knew what'd happened?" James asked, perfectly groomed eyebrows wrinkling.

"Well, I can't tell you how I dodged it, because I don't really know," Peter's left middle finger waved in two full circles: a standard sign for _**tell you later what really happened**_. "But I did find someone who might be able to help," he finished brightly.

"Oh, Merlin, who --"

"_What_ in the name of _Merlin_ have you four gotten yourselves into this ti --" Minerva McGonagall stopped cold in the middle of the corridor, pure and utter shock explicit on her face. Had Jet spared a moment to think about it, she would have come to the conclusion that her professor's face was a picture perfect example of astonishment.

"Hi, Minnie," James said, giving a half-hearted wave. She winced when she caught sight of her newly-delicate hand, free of the hard-earned Quidditch calluses, and dropped it back on her lap morosely.

"Oh… my…" McGonagall said, clapping one hand to her mouth. She spun around tightly so her back was facing them, shoulders trembling silently until a soft sound escaped, quickly followed by several louder ones. She was doing something that the Marauders had been trying to get her to do for the last seven years: she was laughing so hard she was crying.

"Well," Sirius said gloomily, picking at some dust on her skirt, "at least we got her to laugh."

"Doesn't look like she'll be stopping anytime soon, either," Kagumi said, one hand propping his head up.

"So who won the bet, then?" James asked. "I mean, it's not really because of any of us, at least I don't think it so. We can't just take the gold."

"Maybe," Remus yawned, curled on Kagumi lap like a cat taking a nap, "whenever we find out who did this, we'll give _them_ the gold."

There was a moment of profound silence, if one ignored the laughter in the background. "That's brilliant, Remus," Jet said brightly.

"All right," McGonagall said, completely composed once again. "What… happened?"

* * *

"So..." The entire group, minus Regulus, who'd been told sweetly, but firmly, by Bridget to find something else to do for the next day or so, sat in the Transfiguration office. Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn and Albus Dumbledore stood after everyone had given their take on the story.

"It would seem that the, ahem, ruckus the six of you caused might have spooked someone who was trying to practice a spell," Slughorn said; he'd known the Marauders well throughout their schooling, and the two new girls (one of whom wasn't a girl anymore) were quickly achieving a level of brilliance that made his collector senses tingle, for lack of a better phrase.

"The six of us?" Lily asked, throwing a hand out. "I'm sorry, but I believe you're mistaken, Professor. It was those two," he pointed at Kagumi and James, who were determinedly not looking at each other, "who were causing the ruckus."

"We were _not_ causing a ruckus, Professor," Kagumi said flatly. "James was in the way."

"So you broke my _nose?_" James asked, petite, freckled face darkening.

Kagumi shrugged unapologetically and turned to address Dumbledore, "We've not been on the best of terms, lately,"

The Headmaster himself chuckled, a familiar twinkle in his eye that did not bode well for any of the party's dignity. "I think that would be a mild way of putting it, my dear," he said, a smile surely hiding in the formidable amount of facial hair. "I have also heard that water is a bit wet."

The students gave into giggles, while Slughorn and McGonagall muttered to themselves and each other, looking occasionally at some charts and at the group of Gryffindors. Kagumi gently dislodged a sleepy Remus from his side, and jerked his head at Jet.

"Dude, I just can't get used to this," Gumi said lowly, rubbing the newly shorn hair; after a frustrating attempt at brushing the coarse hair, he had turned to Bridget, who'd wielded a basic Cutting Charm with a carefully straight face.

"What?"

"Remus!"

"What about him?" Jet asked. She paused mid-stretch and frowned to herself. "Er... her?"

"Rem's all… over me, at this point. It's unnerving. Two and a half months ago, he was convinced I wanted to murder him. Last week, we were screaming ourselves hoarse at one another. And now he's curled up on my lap like we've known each other forever!"

"Well," Jet said slowly, massaging a stiff shoulder "You're big and powerful. Few males in their right minds would bother picking a fight with you, especially considering your obvious... ire for those who take advantage of uncomfortable females. He's used to being able to take care of himself, or having James and Sirius back him up; Remus is completely out of his element here and he undoubtedly feels helpless; perhaps you represent protection to him."

"I do want to protect him," Gumi said with a dark look. "But surely Remus could protect…" He looked uncomfortable for a moment, and winced. "This is confusing. I don't know whether to call him a him or a her."

"Go for him. Much less confusing. Unless you're looking at him, at any rate." She shrugged. "I'm just using the other pronoun gender to be... difficult, like I usually am. It's less worrying than if I was acting as serious as everyone else."

Kagumi waved a hand. "Fine: he. But surely Remus can protect himself, right? He doesn't need me to do it for him."

"Gumi, have you _looked_ at Remus lately?" Bridget pointed out. "He's tinier than you are, even in your usual... form, and ridiculously beautiful without the knowledge that someone who grows _into _it throughout puberty tends to gain. We've learned-- _I've _learned, as much as I can be an idiot about it-- how to deal with guys and their stupidity, good intentions or... um, not, but do you know what most males, even with the best of intentions, could do to someone _that_ delicate?"

Kagumi's eyes caressed the sleeping Remus, and found the figure to be pleasing, as always, even as a female. "Yes, sadly."

"We both do, and so does he, but he's used to being on the other side. Remus-- and the other boys, for that matter-- are used to being the protectors, the knights in shining armor; they're not used to being the... targets. For him, it's obviously a thing of comfort. Your presence makes him feel safer and I think we should let it be." A short punch on the shoulder later and they had situated themselves to be near the desk where the three professors were talking in low voices.

"What are the charts for, Professor?" Bridget asked politely. The three shared a look before Dumbledore gave the slightest nod.

"These are magical charts that show what magic is active on a given person. We have six of them, one for each of the affected students," McGonagall said. "This here," she shuffled until one with quite a few lines, "is yours, Miss... Mr. Pheonix. This line here," she pointed to a jagged, thick line, "is the same on all of your charts, which is most likely the spell or other magic that switched your genders."

"What about the other lines?"

"We're not sure what they are, for now. You did say you come from a pureblooded stock, so perhaps your family has spells on you. Unless we have reason to believe that they're harming you, we see no reason to interfere."

"And this one?" Bridget asked, pointing to one with a dark, sharp grey line through it.

"Lupin's. Notice that he also has the same green line which we believe is the reversal spell."

"And have you reached a verdict of any sort? I mean, can we reverse the reversal?" Kagumi asked, fiddling with the uniform shirt in a most feminine way.

"At this moment, the spell is too unstable to attempt anything substantial enough to make a difference, so we must allow it to wear off, at least for the time being. It'll take at least two days of charting to see how the spell is reacting to the situation before we can take any sort of accurate measurement of the possible life of the spell."

Bridget's voice drifted over from behind the multiple charts she was examining. "So that would be a basic rate of decay equation to calculate the spell's half-life, although the variables, especially considering the rather... magically volatile environment of Hogwarts would make any sort of estimation... unsure, at best. You'd also have to figure out whether the life of the spell was determined by the mass of the subject's _current _form or the original form, which would undoubtedly affect the calculations, but one should be able to determine that from the rate of decay, now that I think about it."

There was a moment of astonished silence.

"I told you she was quite bright," Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. Slughorn looked calculating.

"Well, what are we going to do, Professor?" Kagumi asked, panic clearly readable on his face. "We can't go to the dorms, we can't go to class, and we don't even know how long this is going to take!"

"Calm yourself, Miss Pheonix. You can still go to class, and if anyone asks who you are, refer them to me. I assure you I am quite capable of handling the curiosity of students in a way that will not reveal who you are or what happened. And though we do not know how long it might take, it will eventually go away." There was a moment of silence where Dumbledore gave them a contemplating look. "Or we shall find a way. Fear not."

"What about the dorms, though? That's an issue all of itself," she persisted, arms crossed. That really hadn't been all too comforting.

"Now that shall, quite simply, be the easiest problem to deal with. I will allow you to temporarily stay in a wing of the guest suites," Dumbledore assured the students. "I'll set that up now, if you'll excuse me."

* * *

At McGonagall's behest, the Gryffindors relaxed in her office, lounging on the floor. As Kagumi got the rest of the group up to speed on what was going on, with the charts and what-not, Bridget found herself dragged off by Remus, who looked extremely embarrassed.

"Bridget, I have a problem," Remus said, twisting her delicate hands in on themselves so tightly that Bridget felt a keen sympathy for the fragile bones.

"All right, Rem, what's wrong?" A flush slowly crept up the girl's neck. "I mean, other than the obvious, of course."

"I…" Remus leaned close and whispered in her ear.

"Oh. That… _could_ be a problem."

* * *

"Rem, you done yet?" Bridget knocked on the door of the girl's bathroom.

"Jet, I don't think I can do this!" Remus came through the doorway, face bright red. "I just… I can't."

"Rem, hon, you can't go this entire time without some basic needs."

"But… it's not my equipment, if you catch my drift," the girl said. She stamped a foot to emphasize her point. "I'm just not comfortable with it."

"None of you are comfortable with it, but you still have to do it. Look, all you have to do is get rid of your undergarments, sit, and do your business. Unlike with your former... possessions, you don't even have to look."

"I…" Remus faltered, brows furrowed as footsteps could be heard.

"Griffins," said a cold voice.

Bridget sighed, turning around to face the boy. She didn't want to deal with this right now. "Hullo, Snape."

"Where's Pheonix?" Severus Snape asked, eying the golden-haired beauty in Gryffindor robes. "She didn't show up for practice."

"I… really can't be sure where Gumi is, Snape." It wasn't entirely a lie. Bridget knew the approximate location of the guest suites they would be using but not exactly where Kagumi was at that precise moment. "We've had a bit of a shock."

"I am quite uninterested in your problems, Griffins, I merely wish to know where I might find my tutoring partner."

"Snape, you spend a lot of time around her, nearly as much as I do. So use your brains and find her for yourself," Remus snapped irritably; she'd seen the way Kagumi and Snape acted towards each other, and it... annoyed her, even now.

"And who are you?" Snape asked.

Oh, right. He was a she now. Bugger, that complicated the normal plan of action.

"I'm a… um, I'm…"

"Are you a transfer student as well?" Snape took a step towards the girl, who jumped and hid behind Bridget. "I'm sure I would remember such a pretty face."

"Apparently you wouldn't, Snape," Bridget said brightly. "You already know Remus. He's just had a bit of an accident." She held out her hand to the shaken Gryffindor, and led her down the hall towards their new temporary residence. "Bye, Severus!"

As they rounded the corner, Bridget began to giggle.

"Bodmin Moor," Remus said, rather dazed once they reached their new rooms.

"You lot let James pick the password again, didn't you?" Jet asked between giggles.

"Nope. Sirius and Kagumi thought of this one." Remus looked green, even in the muted lamplight. "Jet, I think I feel sick."

As the two entered through the portrait, Kagumi leapt up from the couch, rubbing hands over Remus's goosefleshed arms. "Rem, are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"No, he's bloody well not all right!" Lily said. She'd reached the end of her rope five minutes ago and this was the first chance she'd had to explode. "We've been turned into males, and the boys have been turned into girls! How is that even _remotely_ close to all right?"

"Other than that," Kagumi dismissed.

"I…I think…"

"God, I can't breathe." Bridget fell on the couch, laying her feet on Sirius's lap. She regarded Gumi with all due seriousness. "Gui, our dear," she stopped speaking with a frown. "I never came up with a name for you. Remus... that's hard. Um... Remy. I guess. You're now French and apparently from Rheims, Rem; I got nothing better for you." She sighed and closed her eyes, lacing her fingers behind her head. "Anyways, Snape was hitting on her-- him, whatever."

"What?" Gumi repeated, shocked.

"Snape. Hit. On. Remy. Apparently, he took a liking to our smallest one." She frowned. "I don't suppose that makes him bi, does it?"

"Poor thing, he must be traumatized!" Lily and Kagumi both threw pillows at James, who'd spoken. "Ow… what happened to that gender rule?"

"Doesn't apply."

* * *

Bridget lay in her bed long after everyone left for their separate rooms, wondering how long it would take for her to fall asleep. There was a creak as her door opened, and she sat up, gripping her wand. Even though it was Hogwarts, and she had the oddest sensation that she'd know if someone was coming to attack her, she still didn't like being caught unawares. Her hangings twitched open to reveal--

"Sirius?" Jet sighed, and stowed her wand under her pillow again. "Why is it you don't know how to knock?"

"Hi, Jet," Sirius said, looking small and meek for the first time since Bridget had met him…er, her.

"Is something wrong, love?"

"This whole thing has me really freaked out," she said, fiddling awkwardly with the hem of her shirt. "I was just wondering if we could talk for a... is that my shirt?"

Bridget glanced down and back up, blushing. "Um, maybe." Sirius's grin slowly grew, meekness all but disappearing. "Oh, shut up; it's big and comfortable." When Sirius didn't say anything, she crossed her arms over her chest. "One of them is James's as well, you know."

"One of?" Sirius's voice was triumphant. "How many have you stolen?"

"Um... I dunno." She sighed and scooted over in the bed. "Oh, nevermind. Just get in here already."

Sirius hopped into the bed. "I knew you'd be begging me into your bed eventually."

Bridget sighed. "One more comment and I will literally kick you out. You're lucky I'm tolerant of your comments. Other girls would've kneed you in a very uncomfortable place for some of the liberties you've taken."

Sirius grinned. She thought it was adorable that Bridget-- who hadn't even grown up in the old-fashioned Pureblood world-- used out-of-date words like 'liberties.' She was right, of course, but most girls would've also given in after the first attempt at flirting. "See, ma cherie, you do love me!"

Yes, that was the problem, Jet sighed to herself as she watched Sirius make herself more comfortable on the large bed. That was indeed a big problem.

* * *

Kagumi jerked from a light doze, hand reaching automatically under the pillow for the wand stashed there. Still frozen in place, she listened carefully in the silent night. There it was again: a little tapping sound, like a kitten left outside in the rain pawing at the door. It was soft, uncertain and terrified. Kagumi sat up and padded silently to the door, opening it and blinking owlishly in the bright wandlight.

"Remus?"

"Hey, Gumi," Remus's voice was soft; Kagumi looked at the clock over his shoulder; it read midnight.

"Are you okay?"

Determinedly not looking at the near-naked body clad only in boxers, Remus stared up at the almost-familiar face. "I'm fine."

"Do you… need something? I mean, you don't go knocking on people's doors at midnight for nothing, right?" When Remus paused uncertainly, Kagumi frowned. "Or maybe you do. What can I say, I've seen--"

"No, um, can I come in?" Kagumi shrugged and stepped back, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the girl-- the _boy _dressed in sweat pants and a large T-shirt. One of hers, actually. Trying to ignore the jolt of raw possessiveness that shot thorugh her at seeing Remus dressed in _her_ clothes, Kagumi focused on the face; on the furrowed golden brows, and the thick lashes that framed those mesmerizing eyes, and the way the teeth were absently chewing at the bottom lip… Shaking herself mentally, Kagumi closed her eyes.

Remus's small voice brought her back to reality. "Um, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?"

"Okay, shoot."

"It's kind of a big one. Really big. And it'd be fine if you said no. I'd be fine. I mean, it's nothing huge to me. I just can't…" Kagumi gentled her touch against Remus's overly-sensitive lips, and tried not to read anything into the sudden spark in the golden eyes at the casual touch.

She lifted her finger. "Spit it out, Rem."

"Can I sleep with you?" Kagumi coughed, and Remus flushed. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong. I… nevermind, I'm sorry."

"Remus, wait." Remus stopped at the doorframe, one hand on the handle. "Why did you want to, er, sleep in here with me?"

"It doesn't mat--" he cut himself off with a shaky breath. "Because I have never felt this vulnerable in my entire life, and you... you seem like you want to protect me." The answer sounded simple enough, but the underlying message was incredibly complex. And it was truthful, the sort of truth that resounded long after the words had faded. Kagumi sighed, getting back into bed.

"Get over here then." The small, apologetic smile Remus gave her was enough to make it worthwhile and he crawled in, beneath the blankets but on top of the sheet. With a contented sigh, the petite form curled into the warmth of the larger and melted into sleep with Kagumi's arm around his waist.

Giving into temptation, Kagumi pressed a soft kiss against Remus's lips, which were parted slightly as he slept, and whispered, "Goodnight, Remus."

* * *

It had been three days, and a bowing House Elf had finally appeared in the guest suite commons with a note from Dumbledore that simply said to come to the Transfiguration office. Energetic and hopeful for the first time since the Library, the group jostled its way through the crowds of younger students.

"Who is _he_?" one fourth year girl asked a friend, pointing at the redheaded boy in the middle of the group.

"I have no idea, but I'd like to know," said the friend jovially.

Their behavior-- everyone else seemed to be following suit-- was discouraged by the glare the black-headed boy directed at the girls and the slightest glimpse of bared teeth at the general group, warning them to even _dare_ to come closer. As if they were of one mind, they shrunk away from the Gryffindors' path and the girls quickly found themselves backed against the hall's wall as the males of their class attempted to get away from the collective group.

"I can't take much more of this," Remus whispered; he could feel the appreciative stares. The others-- even including Bridget and Peter-- nodded their agreement.

Since the first night, he'd taken to sleeping next to Kagumi and waking feeling calmer than he felt the rest time. Sirius had kept to Bridget's room quite often as well, while James had pouted miserably-- and loudly-- about being left alone in the commons until Lily had said that if they were both so _very _lonely they could sleep together and Bridget would sleep with her.

The contemplative pause that had followed was enough to cause Lily to huff in a very feminine way and stalk off, dragging a bewildered Bridget behind her. James and Sirius didn't know why she was so upset; _they _were the ones stuck with the rather... interesting images the words had conjured up.

Finally, they reached the first floor and headed straight for the unassuming door that led to McGonagall's tartan decorated office. Upon opening the door, the group was startled to find only Professor McGonagall and no trace of Dumbledore.

"Well, do come in," she said, a twitch of her lips betraying the smile that had been lurking about her features in class and at meals, but quickly she assumed the proper stoic face of a professor of her stature. "I'm pleased to inform you that the calculations are as complete as they will likely ever be. We might have an answer for you."

* * *

**Author's Note:** There it is, DIN fans. We're so very sorry it took so long to get to you. See, we're having a few problems. I (Kagumi) just moved, so I'm still getting settled. And Jet, in addition to having limited access time to DIN or a computer, has started the new semester of University! Let's all cheer her through good grades.

Also, I have noticed that the new story, Per Vultas Vas, isn't getting much reader-love. It is up now, guys, and we'd like to get a bit of feedback on it, since most of the PVV chapters are already written and we can have them out faster than the DIN chaps.

Let me tell you a secret. *beckons everyone closer* Reviews make writers work faster. So if you want us to write faster, you have to review!

* * *

**Next time, on DIN:**

"_You what?!" _

"_I think…I changed back."_

"_Sirius, you're in the _girl's_ bathroom!"_

"_In a skirt, too," he shot back irritably. Jet's eyebrows shot up; she'd forgotten about that part of it._

"_Well, how come he's changed back and we haven't?" Lily asked, desperation lacing her voice. James slung a casual arm around her, only to have it knocked off irritably. He shrugged, letting Lily pace. "What was he doing?"_

"_Lily, he was in a bathroom, what do you think his actions were?" Kagumi asked._

"_Well, but…" There was a flash of light, but no sound. They all watched as the long red hair Lily has refused to cut began to curl at the ends. The waist, which had been lean but tiny, began to gracefully curve again. And Lily gasped, hands holding tightly to the chest of her shirt, as presumably her bosom regrew._

"_Oh, God, that feels _weird_!" she said loudly. In a girl's voice. _"_I'm back? Oh, I'm back!"_

"_So…is there an order to this?" Remus demanded. "I mean, what's going on? Who's going next?"_

"_Um, Rem, remember my theory of volume disparity?" Jet asked. He nodded. "Seems like it's following that, so next should be --" Her statement was interrupted by another flash of light._


	20. Normalcy is Overrated

_**Disclaimer: **__Neither Kagumi nor Bridget own anything related to the Harry Potter series other than the stuff they've bought and the ideas they come up with. Original characters and most of the situations presented, however, they do own._

**Author's Notes: **Notes.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen:** Normalcy is Overrated

"_I am not strange; I am just not normal." _

_~Salvador Dali

* * *

_

They had settled into their new—temporary—roles as well as they probably ever would, even if everyone was still jumpy and uncomfortable. Bridget poked despondently at her eggs. She would never admit it to anyone, but she… she _missed _the boys; she hadn't been surrounded by this much estrogen since she'd attended her previous, all-girl high school, and it was just strange not having Sirius hit on her every few hours; instead, he seemed to be hitting on everyone _else_.

Then she became aware of the furious, muttering voices farther down the table. Bridget's head shot up and she snapped out of the tired daze she normally was in during the early hours. She followed Kagumi's gaze down to where James and Lily were arguing.

This was not going to end well.

"What are you _talking _about?" James hissed, voice finally raised enough for Bridget to hear the words, although it would still be difficult for the others in the Great Hall.

"You," Lily hissed back. "You and your stupid prejudices."

James sucked in a sharp breath and pushed himself back from the table, tripping over the still unfamiliar legs as he retreated out of the Great Hall. Gumi tugged at Bridget's sleeve, worried about James despite her best efforts.

"Jet," she whispered when the other girl didn't seem to notice, still staring at the door James had disappeared through. Bridget turned around and faced her; her brown eyes weren't focused on her, but inward, somewhere hidden in her complicated, somewhat frightening mind. "Jet, go."

"What?"

"James may be an idiot, but he's freaking out about something. You're the only one he'll talk to beside Sirius or Remus and, well," she glanced next to her where Remus was still curled up against her side and Sirius was flashing slow smiles at anyone who came near, "neither of them is in any shape for it."

Bridget frowned at Remus. "Right, what McGonagall said about that personality-augmenting side effect of the spell." Her concerned gaze turned to Kagumi. She'd already had to play mediator between her and others outside their group several times during the ordeal; thankfully, only one wrist had been broken, and it was clean enough that the nurse had been able to mend it in a second. "Don't send anyone to Pomfrey while I'm gone, okay?"

Kagumi sighed. "Fine. If they behave themselves."

"No. No ifs. Just don't do it." She didn't wait for a response. Instead, Bridget stood up, grabbed her backpack, and chased after James, ignoring the excited murmurings coming from the rest of the student body.

* * *

"James?" Bridget peered around the corner of the locker room, feeling awkward that she was even considering entering the boys' Quidditch locker room. "James, hon, are you okay?" There was no answer, but she was sure she'd seen him go in and, well, at this point, it wasn't like he had anything she didn't have herself. "I'm coming in!"

She took a deep, calming breath, and walked in the room with undue caution; it had been drilled into her subconscious that she should never go into a boy's bathroom alone with a boy. Of course, James wasn't _physically _a boy, but mentally nothing had changed. Bridget paused at the end of one of the rows and stopped.

James was sitting on the bench with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped so tightly that his knuckles were white, and his head was bent as he glared at the floor. It was a very masculine pose for someone who didn't look much like a man. "You shouldn't be in here," he said softly.

"Ah," Bridget ignored the rebuke, as weak as it was, and sat down next to him on the bench, "to be honest, neither should you."

He let his head drop in his hands, his shoulders dropping. After a moment's hesitation, she wrapped her arm around his shoulders; he was trembling. Bridget pulled his hands apart before he managed to bruise himself.

"I don't feel right," he muttered.

"Of course you don't. James, you're a _girl._ Hell, most _girls_ don't feel right in their own bodies, I can't imagine how it'd be for someone who hasn't been told over and over how difficult it is to be female."

"No," he said. "I mean, yeah, that's weird, but I don't know how to… to act. I mean, that Slytherin was giving you problems and…" he trailed off helplessly.

"James," she said in a soft voice, trying not to laugh, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, you know. Gumi and Lily as well."

"I know Gumi can, but…"

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "I need you to listen to me. I know you're being chivalrous and gentlemanly and what-not, but Lily and I are not helpless. She's held her own against you, hasn't she? And, well, I grew up with a bunch of boys. It was either I learn to handle things myself or I'd have to rely on my cousin to protect me. I preferred to handle things myself."

James gave her a skeptical look. After all, as far as he'd seen she did need their protection. She spent most of her time latched onto him or Sirius, depending on how she'd felt about Sirius that day, and she didn't seem nearly as experienced with… physically protecting herself as Kagumi was.

"Ah, disbelief." Bridget pulled her hands back from him, folding them in her lap as she shrank into a position that seemed to prove her vulnerability. She squared her shoulders. "Love, this needs to stay between us."

"What?"

"I'm… I'm going to tell you something that no one here knows, not even Gumi, and I don't want them to know about it."

James straightened up, frowning. She was being serious, a short-lived rarity from the girl, and… she was focused, which was just weird. It was really weird. He nodded

"All right, James, um, you see, I spend a lot of time outside, and I live near the beach so I used to spend evening sitting there, after everyone would leave for the day when it was nice and quiet and breezy. My family's loud; I liked being able to sit and think or read or whatever in peace.

"But, when Gumi first started coming to Hawaii-- we were young, third years, maybe-- she started taking walks and I'd tag along. She's like that when she thinks she can get away with it-- real quiet, reflecting. You know, when she feels like she doesn't have to protect someone."

She waited for him to roll his eyes or say something sarcastic about the other girl, but it never came, so she continued talking in a quiet voice.

"One day, when we were walking Kagumi got really tense, the kind that she gets when she thinks something's wrong, and she told me that someone was following us. At first, it seemed a little coincidental. I went to school with him for a couple years in elementary school and we'd talked at a party once. But... he seemed to think that there was some sort of... fated connection between us."

"Sounds like he needed a fated connection with someone's fist," James muttered darkly. "I volunteer."

"Thanks. No need. Anyways, he just... he showed up _everywhere. _I mean, our schools are pretty tight, and I do a lot of the events because I'm in student government, but it was just getting insanely coincidental. I... refused to tell anyone. He wasn't hurting me; he was just being... persistent, I thought." James winced at her choice of words; she usually defended him as "just persistent" too.

"But, my cousin Jack was on leave and he, well, he knows me well enough that he figured out that something was wrong. He and Wyatt—his friend from the Academy—got me to tell them what was wrong and…" She shook her head, smiling to herself. "They did something... not very nice to him."

"Jet, love, if you're trying to prove that you can take care of yourself, you're failing miserably."

Bridget raised an eyebrow at him, seemingly amused by his concerned anger. "Will you let me finish?" He stared back at her, still frowning, but she took that as acceptance. "Anyways, after that they'd go with me everywhere-- Jack or Wyatt whoever Jack could drum up, usually my other cousin Kawika-- and he didn't show up once, at least not that I could see. But, I was stubborn and I still would go on my own, usually when I didn't want to talk to anyone."

"Bridget," James started in a concerned voice. He raised his hands to his face, rubbing at his eyes. "Even I can tell this isn't going to end well."

"Just listen. I'm almost done. I was walking back after I'd been there for an hour or so, it was already dark and..." her voice caught uncomfortably in her throat, "he was standing there like he'd been waiting for me. He was _pleading_, full of sweet promises and rushed words and..."

"Lots of crazy?" James offered in a stiff voice.

"Yeah, that's one way to put it. It was creepy, so I just told him that... it was nice of him and I tried to walk away, but he didn't like that. He didn't take that well and he grabbed me by my arm," she rubbed at the middle of her forearm, wincing, "and pulled me against him. He was furious that I was refusing to see what was 'obvious' and 'right in front of me.' He was even more furious about Jack and Wyatt and how they would intercept him and I had no right to defy what was meant to be.

"He-- he was bigger than me and he'd caught me by surprise, it was such a change in personality." Her voice softened. "He threw me onto the sand and... and dropped on top of me, pulling up my shirt and--"

"I'm going to kill him," he said in a cold, level voice. "I don't care how much he got punished or if you think it was justice; I will _destroy_ him."

Bridget stopped talking, regarding the boy with an almost detached expression. "Now you know what it's like, don't you?" she asked in a soft voice. "That need to kill, the drive to protect at any and all costs. Remember that when you talk to Gumi next; she only has the best of intentions."

"I—yes, I'll remember."

"It didn't get much farther. I kicked at him and something hit so he let go long enough for me to grab a handful of sand and throw it in his face. He choked on it and I was able to push him off, but he still tried to grab me. I kicked him in the face and when I got up, I kicked him in the stomach. I probably would've done it again, but... I couldn't let myself lose it; I would've killed him. Instead, I reported it. My dad's chief of police; you don't mess with the police chief's daughter and expect to get away with it. It's ridiculously stupid."

"Police chief?"

"Uh, your dad is Head Auror, right?" James nodded. "It's similar to that. He ran law enforcement in Hawaii, but he was a detective before that, like an Auror, and he was _good_." She hesitated. "Dad didn't know about the guy; I'm still surprised Jack didn't tell him."

James looked at her, hazel eyes hard in the dim light. "I want his name, Jet."

"He's dead," she said in an even voice. "It's just stupid to mess with the only girl in a huge, well-liked local family. He'd lost everything he had, so he killed himself. Jack and Wyatt… may have had something to do with it, but I really don't want to know."

"Good for them," James swore viciously. He took her hands in his, holding them tightly as though he needed to comfort her; she had a feeling that it helped him more than her, but that didn't mean she didn't appreciate it.

"He'd underestimated how utterly pissed I could get and what I was willing to do once he'd backed me into a corner, or threatened the people I care about. I'm worse than Kagumi when I'm that far gone." Her eyes were cold, but aware as she looked at James, and it was strangely comforting; to know that she could disconnect from the almost naïve happiness she was known for long enough to care for herself. "I can take care of myself, James."

"I believe you," he said softly.

He liked to know that he didn't have to watch out for her all the time (not that he'd really stop), but James was still relieved when she broke out in her familiar, bright smile. "Okay. Let's go apologize to Gumi."

_Wait. What?

* * *

_

Kagumi watched, slightly in awe, as Bridget cheerfully dragged James in the room behind her. James was putting up quite the fight—dragging his feet and trying to walk in the opposite direction—but Bridget was having none of it. She promptly strode up and deposited James in front of the couch Kagumi, Remus, and Sirius were sitting on.

After a moment of astonished silence, Bridget frowned and poked at James's shoulder. "Go on."

"I don't want to," he pouted, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"Yes you do, silly," she replied easily, rolling her eyes. "You're just being stubborn and _male._ Right now you're a chick, so it's okay to be sensitive and the like, if that makes you feel any better. Come on, love."

James gave her a pleading look, but Bridget stared stoically back. Kagumi was finding this whole exchange terribly amusing. Eventually, James sighed and gave up. "Fine. I'm sorry, Pheonix."

Silence. Complete and utter silence. James didn't apologize to _anyone._ Ever. (Except for maybe the Marauders, but that was only done in private, so there was no proof.)

"What?" Gumi was dumbstruck, and she looked at the two boys nestled against her sides, who both shrugged simultaneously.

"I," James took a deep breath as if the words hurt him to say, "I apologize for what I said to you; you were only trying to help and you… may have had some good points."

"Yay!" Bridget briefly threw her arms around his neck. "I'm proud of you, Jamie. You're learning to be a real human being." She turned her level gaze to Kagumi. "Gumi?"

"What?"

"Now, what do you say?"

"Oh, um, you're forgiven?" She was having a hard time wrapping her mind around this shocking turn of events.

Bridget raised a single eyebrow. "_And?_"

Kagumi blinked back. "And what?"

"James doesn't hold all of the blame in this situation," she said flatly.

"I know," she said, rising off of the couch. Hands in pockets, she cleared her throat. "I'm sorry too, Potter. I was out of line, for saying what I did, even if I did mean every word. It wasn't my place to say, but I did and now we know where we stand," she finished, looking determinedly past him.

"That being said," James said uncertainly, "can we maybe go back to just James and Gumi?"

"What, you don't like being called Potter?" Gumi teased, rubbing her knuckles across his head.

"Not particularly; it usually means I'm in trouble," James said. He twisted away from the offending hand with a scowl.

"But, James," Sirius smirked, "you were."

* * *

Bridget sighed irritably, sitting on the floor outside of the bathrooms in a way that McGonagall would probably frown at. It would be much easier to do this if they wouldn't all wait until they _really _had to use the toilet. It took _forever_ this way.

She tilted her head towards the door. Sirius had said something, but it sounded all garbled. "You what?" she shouted through the door.

"I," he raised his voice, "I think… I changed back."

Wait… _his _voice. But… "Sirius, you're in the girl's bathroom!"

"In a skirt, too," he shot back irritably. Jet's eyebrows shot up and she suppressed the reflexive snicker; she'd forgotten about that.

"Transfigure them into trousers, then," she replied, trying not to give into the need to laugh.

"Oh. Right." Even through the door, he sounded sheepish.

"Why did he changed back and we haven't?" Lily asked, desperation lacing her voice. James slung a casual arm around her, only to have it knocked off irritably. He shrugged, letting Lily pace. "What was he doing?"

"Lily, he was in a bathroom, what do you think his actions were?" Kagumi asked.

"Well, but…"

Her voice cut off, choking itself in her throat and they saw her clutch her stomach before there was a blinding flash of light. It took only a moment, but time seemed to slow down as they looked on. Lily got shorter as her hips widened and her already lean waist thinned even more, broad shoulders sloping into a slimmer, more petite version. Lily stood there, panting slightly, one hand clutching her shirt closer and the other holding up the now too-large pants.

"Oh, God, that feels weird!" she said loudly. "I'm back? Oh, I'm back!"

Bridget frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well," she said. "That was rather strange. I have a feeling strange happens a lot around you folk."

"Normalcy is overrated," Sirius muttered through the door.

"So… is there an order to this?" Remus demanded. "I mean, what's going on? Who's going next?"

"Um, Rem, remember my theory of volume disparity?" Jet asked. He nodded. "Seems like I was right, so next should be --" Her statement was interrupted by another flash of light.

James let out a high-pitched yelp. In a split second, he grew about six inches (making his skirt go from beyond his knees to almost indecent) and his hair shortened back to the unmanageable length it was before the incident. He finally filled out his shirt properly, no longer looking like one of those girls who stole her boyfriend's shirts.

"That _hurt_," he muttered in the same, familiar low baritone they were used to.

"Ah, well," Bridget said, lips twitching up, "I imagine it's like a really fast growth spurt. You'll be fine. Although, I suspect you'd be better if you could put some pants on before someone takes out a camera."

"Oh." James glanced down at his legs. "Oh, right." He waved a hand absently, not even bothering to take out his wand, and the skirt lengthened and knit itself back together into trousers. He looked horrified for a moment and he pulled the waistband of his pants out so he could look down while everyone else watched, amused. "Oh, thank _God."_

Jet and Lily burst out laughing.

* * *

"They're back to normal," Griffins announced cheerfully, setting her books down at the table they were sitting at without waiting for an invitation to join them. Severus merely raised an eyebrow, but when he looked at Regulus, the other Slytherin had made space for the girl and was wearing a strangely fond smirk on his face; it was an expression he was all too familiar with.

"Oh, really?" he murmured. "By normal, I assume you mean that my brother no longer looks like my mother?"

"Yes," she replied cheerfully, either not noticing or not caring about the sarcasm. "It's very nice to have them all back as they should be."

"I suppose it would be," Regulus said in that same amused voice. Severus didn't know what was wrong with him, but he suspected it was very much like what Pheonix had done with him. "For you."

"Oh, admit it, Reg," _Reg?_ "You know that having someone who looked _exactly _like your mother walking around campus has been hell on your nerves."

"I know no such thing."

"Hm… right. I'll let you think that." She straightened up suddenly. "Anyways, I am here for another purpose."

"Oh, is there something on your mind besides my brother's return to malehood?" Regulus drawled. "That _is_ surprising."

"Yes, shut up. I'm not here to talk to you," she ignored the mock knife-in-the-heart gesture, "Severus and I have to discuss tutoring."

"I do not believe I gave you permission to call me by my given name."

Griffins seemed unaffected by his most potent glare, something Severus did not hold in high esteem. "That's too bad. I only really use surnames when I'm upset with someone. Would you like me to be upset with you?"

Her tone was sweet, as Severus was used to, but there was steel behind it that reminded him of Pheonix. "Use what you wish. It's of no consequence to me."

"Good." She beamed at him.

"You don't need tutoring," he finally said, looking back at his work. "Your Potions work is fine."

"Really?"

"Severus wouldn't say it if it wasn't true," Regulus added. Severus resisted the urge to glare at him. "You must be quite good."

"Great, but I'm afraid I still need to have at least one period, otherwise McGonagall will scold me."

Finally, Severus looked up, finding himself somewhat amused despite his best intentions; he wondered when his cold demeanor had stopped deflecting people away from him. "And you fear Professor McGonagall?"

"Oh, yes." Griffins nodded. "I fear her punishments down to my very bones. She's quite intimidating, don't you think?"

"Quite." Severus nodded. "Very well, then. Is Thursday after next suitable? After supper, perhaps?"

"Yes. It is. Thanks."

"Bridget?" a familiar voice called in an unusually soft voice. The girl's face lit up as Black emerged from the front, looking uncomfortable among all the books. He froze when he caught sight of Severus and Regulus, a flash of the familiar anger in his eyes before, bizarrely, he suppressed it. "Oh," he said in a careful, restrained voice. "Snape. Hello, Reg."

"Hello, Sirius."

Severus stopped glaring at Black long enough to give Regulus a slightly surprised look (although the Gryffindors wouldn't recognize it for what it was). They were _talking _now? Regulus shrugged in silent response.

"Sirius! I can carry my own books quite well, thank you," Griffins scolded as Black gathered her books up in one arm.

"You know very well that you cannot," Black replied shortly. He sounded more like a pureblood than he had in years. He made a shooing motion with his free hand. "Yesterday you nearly walked into a wall. Say good-bye to your little friends so we can leave."

This was… interesting. Black was doting on the Griffins girl; the Hogwarts rumor mill had him with Pheonix and Potter with Griffins. Severus, of course, being who he was, knew better. Her views on all of the Gryffindor boys had come up at least once in their tutoring sessions, of which didn't resemble tutoring so much as him finding something else to be amused with and the two of them continually avoiding the work. Truth told, he found that she was a relatively even match and they'd covered most of the basic syllabus he'd drawn up already. Nevertheless, this was still an unexpected twist of events.

"Don't be cruel," she admonished. Griffins sighed, but smiled at Regulus and Severus. "Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Bridget," Regulus replied, still looking terribly amused. Severus nodded.

Griffins stood and Black wrapped an arm around her waist as if it were natural, relaxing instantly. She smiled fondly up at him and Severus was sure, as they left, that he'd heard her say. "I've sort of missed your chivalrous idiocy, you know."

Gryffindors really are strange.

* * *

"Faster, Pheonix!" James yelled loudly, throwing a Quaffle right by her head. "Keep up with Black!"

"I'm trying, you damned dolt," she shouted right back, urging her broom faster. Finally she caught up with her partner, throwing him a dirty look before swinging her bat hard enough to knock the incoming Bludger away from the Seeker they were tailing.

The strain of playing (or in this case, practicing) school-quality Quidditch was a far cry from the easy-going pick-up games of summer. This time, people were really counting on her, scores mattered and the game didn't stop for an injury short of death-defying. Using Marauder code, she signaled a roundabout of the field to Sirius, who was next to her. Simultaneously, they peeled off in different directions before merging back into an Intersecting Descent to re-synchronize their movements.

The practice had been going well, even if the new Seeker was bit of a twit. In Bridget's humble opinion, the only reason she was on the team was because she'd played Muggle sports as a kid (she was obviously Muggleborn) and because she could fly well enough. In the brains department, she lacked enough to make planning strategies and plays obnoxiously difficult. It was too painful to watch.

To be honest, she wanted Regulus out there with her, since he was the only person outside of the Marauders' who'd been worth the time to talk to, but he was on an opposing team, and neither Kagumi, Sirius nor James had relented on his "spying." And they were probably right about it; he _was _a Slytherin after all. He wouldn't have been able to copy much of James's methods; Bridget had helped fine tune some of the plays, and most weren't even remotely possible without someone of his talent as a Chaser and Kagumi and Sirius working in tandem as Beaters.

So Bridget was stuck doing a History essay with no one to talk to aside from Remus (who was focused almost single-mindedly on the practice, and muttering amusing things underneath his breath) or Peter (who seemed hopelessly lost). She wondered if it would be too much effort to convince Lily to come with her for the next practice. Eventually, she sighed, closed her book, and turned to Peter.

Having finally caught up with his homework and mostly confident with his studies, he was now trying to understand the Quidditch plays and drills James had developed. Unfortunately, James and Sirius were rather genius and their sketches could be a bit… indecipherable to the uninitiated.

"I said a Double Twist Turn, Hamilton!" James bellowed above them, causing the Seeker to nearly fall off her broom; he looked very much the part of a wrathful, displeased god. "You pull another Swing Left Pull and I will _replace you!"_

Of course, perhaps that was for the best. The initiated were often shouted at.

* * *

They stared after the distraught girl.

"Well," Remus said, "that was interesting."

"I didn't do anything," Bridget continued in stunned disbelief. "Did I do something? I don't remember even _talking _to her before."

They continued staring after the short, bad tempered Seeker, who was throwing her gloves and uniform back into the locker, slamming it shut and storming out, still raving.

"She wasn't…" Peter trailed off uncertainly, "_that _upset."

Remus and Bridget, simultaneously, turned their incredulous looks at the blushing boy. He shrugged.

"She was swearing at me in _Spanish,_" Bridget deadpanned. "Spanish swear words, I know. La chica estaba muy enojada. _Muy _enojada."

"Sí," Remus added, nodding.

"GRIFFINS!"

Bridget spun around in time for James to fall to his knees at her feet and wrap his arms tightly around her middle. She patted him awkwardly on his messy hair and sent inquiring looks at the exhausted Kagumi and Sirius. Kagumi shrugged, occupied with picking the twigs from her hair gained after a rather spectacular crash and chase for a Bludger who'd managed to find the _only_ weak spot in the Anti-Escape Wards surrounding the Pitch, and Sirius was too busy falling asleep on his feet to notice; there was no help there.

"Um… hello, James. Is there a reason you're… clinging to me?" James looked soulfully into her eyes, using all of his (rather considerable) charm.

"Bridget Ashlyne, love of my life." She gave him a disbelieving look. This was getting interesting. "You are the fire under my cauldron, the ink to my quill, the wings on my snitch, the wax on my—"

"Don't finish that one," she interrupted, "not unless you want Sirius to kill you."

Sirius looked up at his name. "What?"

"James is propositioning me," Bridget said brightly. James's grip on her waist tightened, as if he was willing to use her as a human shield if Sirius showed signs of homicidal intent; the action only amused her more.

"Ah." He blinked tiredly, adjusting how he was leaning on Remus, who seemed uncomfortable when Kagumi joined the canine pile by leaning on his other side; Kagumi and Sirius eventually edged Remus out, leaving only the two semi-coherent Beaters supporting each other. "Okay. I'll hurt him later. After food." He yawned. "And sleep."

She sighed, rolling her eyes, and smirked down at James again. "What do you want, my little—what was it? Oh, right!— my little quill?"

"I need you to save my life."

"Right…" She arched an eyebrow. "Do you need an organ? Because I'm afraid I'm rather fond of my organs."

"No," James replied, hazel eyes wide and earnest like a small child asking for a biscuit. "It's more important than my _health. _I need you to replace Hamilton."

"What?"

Well, at least that explained the girl's sudden hatred of all things Griffins.

"I will love you forever," he said, sounding like he really meant it.

Sirius made a small growl of protest. "Prongs…"

"I will love you _platonically _forever," he corrected hastily. "I am unwaveringly and unfalteringly devoted to Evans. Lily, I mean. I really like Lily."

"Right."

"You mean you'll do it?" James asked, the joy and gratitude on his face dying when she shook her head.

"Well, no." She smiled apologetically. "I'm not insane enough to subject myself to your special form of torture." ("I promise to be nice.") "Also, schoolwork."

James looked like he was going to cry. There was something inherently _wrong _(and sadly familiar) about seeing an almost-grown man about to cry over a sport.

"But," she continued in a reluctant voice, "I _suppose_ I'll be willing to step in if Hamilton is unable to play."

With a gleeful squeal he'd never admit to later, James got to his feet and, after giving her a quick hug, started skipping to the castle.

Yes, skipping. It was a sad, pathetic sight.

"You do realize," Remus said slowly after a minute, "that you didn't specify the terms in which Hamilton would leave."

Oh, crap. "James!" she shouted, shouldering her bag and jogging after him. "You are _not _allowed to hurt or bully her into quitting! _James! _James Nathaniel! Don't you _dare _ignore me!"

* * *

Kagumi sat in one of the squashy couches she was so fond of, an open Runes book in her lap and the beginning of a very nice essay on the multiple meanings of The Runes of the Kylver Stone. A half-awake Sirius was nestled against her side and she was idly petting his hair as she read over her homework. It was a scene that had become commonplace since the girls' arrival.

Travis Adams, a fellow seventh year who'd taken a special interest in the new students, sat on the other side of the Common Room. The boy had found their acceptance into the notoriously exclusive group beyond confusing and he just hadn't let up. He'd made her none too happy since her Sorting, not to mention how he'd continually managed to provoke Sirius and Remus's tempers with his obnoxiousness.

It was only her good reflexes that kept her from jumping as she felt Adams's hand reach downwards and flip the book out of her lap. She scowled as the inkwell narrowly missed her half-completed essay.

"You need something, Adams, or are you just being stupid again?" she asked in a bored voice. "If you mess up my essay I will hex you until there is nothing left except a pile of skin."

"I want to talk to you," the boy said, rather unwisely.

Since the gender-reversal debacle last week, he'd been eying the way Jet, Gumi and the Marauders interacted, and had even been taking notes before James noticed them and calmly burned the parchment to an impressive pile of ash. Gumi stared into his mud-brown eyes and felt the beginning descent of a cold anger settling low in her chest.

"So talk," she shifted and felt Sirius rumble in his throat; even half asleep, he recognized enough of her body language to feel her muscles tense dangerously.

"Not here," he said, glancing down at Sirius, who'd bared his teeth without opening his eyes. "Near the table by the portrait hole."

Kagumi gave him a look, but he merely stared back. Finally, she sighed and extracted herself from Sirius's grip (he seemed quite reluctant to let his pillow go). Once by the portrait hole, she crossed her arms and glared at the tall boy.

"Now what?" she snapped, having been lured from her comfortable position. "I have homework to finish and Remus is occupied with something in the Library, Jet is nowhere to be found and James is off plotting something with Peter. Now if you'll --"

"Are you and Black dating?" he asked bluntly. Kagumi blinked once; it was a test of willpower not to laugh in his face.

"Of course not. We're just good friends." Adams took the blush on her cheeks to mean something else, and nodded triumphantly. His expression was clearly disbelieving and Kagumi raised her head.

"Oy, Black!" Sirius raised a tousled head and looked tiredly over the back of the couch.

"What?" he said, grumpy about being woken up.

"Are we dating and you just forgot to inform me?"

Her expression told him to play along, but he was too tired for games tonight. The never-ending attempts to woo Bridget had left him feeling mentally exhausted and the usual twice a day, ridiculously tiring Quidditch practice from earlier had his body catching up quickly; he was sorely resentful that he hadn't tried the coffee Gumi had had the Kitchen Elves prepare.

"No. Who wants to know?"

Kagumi jerked her head back at Adams, and Sirius scoffed lightly. _Show him_, Sirius's hands suggested as he rolled over the back of the couch with an easy, practiced sort of grace.

_How so?_ she asked back. Sirius shrugged.

"Name your proof, Adams, and leave me be before I decide to practice dueling with you instead of Snape."

"I'll make you a bet, Pheonix. You prove to my satisfaction that you and Black aren't dating, and I'll get off your back." Adams's face was leering at her. "On the condition that you let Black chose how you do it."

"Deal. Ten to one odds. I'll lay down ten Sickles right now, if you can guarantee that you've got the 100 available." His nod was jerky, but seemed true, and Kagumi beckoned Sirius over. Grumbling, he walked over to the gathering knot of students; situations like this with the Marauders involved had always, thus far, proved to be amusing at the very least, even if they could be slightly destructive. "Siri, love, how should I prove to this bloody idiot that we're not dating?"

"Well..." Sirius drawled, "you could always snog the next guy through the portrait hole..."

"Hm. Would that be to your satisfaction, Adams? If I snog the next available guy close to my age through that entrance?" Adams's eyes were wide, but he nodded. Businesslike, Kagumi clapped her hands together. "Settled." She took out a small bag and upended the ten silver coins on the table, before settling herself on the arm of the couch she and Sirius had been sharing.

* * *

Cordan slapped Raminus none too gently to wake him. "Ram, get up!"

"What do you want, you bloody basta --" Cor shoved the Mirror beneath his nose, and Ram's eyebrows flew upwards. "What the hell?"

"Your little plan paid off; Sirius and James have been continuing your less than noble work," Cordan said, eyes twinkling. "Sirius just contacted your current project and told him to get to the Common Room."

"What have I done?" Raminus asked, one hand settled over his mouth in amused horror.

"Created an amusing monstrosity known as matchmaking. Especially considering _who_ is attempting the matchmaking."

"This…is going to be interesting."

"This project is always interesting. Do you think she'll hold to the bet?" Cordan asked; Raminus snorted.

"Of course she will. Kagumi always holds to her bets," Raminus said, digging in his pocket; Cordan already had notes on the table. "That girl's pride could power an entire city for a day if we could figure out how to convert it. Her dignity won't let her do anything else, even when she sees who walks through."

"Bet you five Galleons she won't," Cordan said, right as Raminus said, "Bet you five Galleons she'll do it." With one quick handshake, they settled in to watch the fiasco unfold.

* * *

Bridget wandered downstairs, muttering about the History book she'd managed to misplace sometime in the last hour, just in time to see Sirius digging in his bag for something. The sight, as a whole, was rather distracting (she found the sight of Sirius in tight trousers distracting at any rate), but she noticed that, oddly, he was pulling out something silver. Then she saw Kagumi perched on a couch arm near the portrait hole, looking unusually anxious and it became obvious that something was going on.

And that Ram and Cor were in on this; there were so many ways something could go wrong. More girls poured through the portrait hole and Kagumi never noticed Sirius speaking into a small, handheld mirror. Jet noticed, though. And just as she was about to call Sirius on whatever he was doing, the portrait swung open to reveal...

"Oh, bollocks," Gumi sighed. _Now I know that somebody somewhere is involved in a matchmaking attempt, and I don't like one bit!_ Standing just inside the door, looking very confused at the onslaught of giggles his arrival had caused, was none other than Remus Lupin. _All right, I might like it… a very tiny bit. _

Resigning herself, Kagumi walked over and slid an arm around his waist. Jet's eyebrows shot up; this was unexpected, to say the least.

"_Don't_ ask questions," she warned before slamming her lips into his.

Several hoots went up as Remus, now extremely, if pleasantly, confused, wrapped an arm around her waist and closed his eyes, not complaining at all when the tip of her tongue visibly traced his bottom lip. The two stood that way, giving and taking from each other, neither moving overly much, for a good solid minute. Sirius developed a contagious, if loud, case of the chuckles as Kagumi broke away.

Without a backwards glance, she tossed a wink at Adams, who was staring dumbfounded at the slightly-glaze-eyed Lupin, and swung herself onto the stairs to the girls' dormitories, completely ignoring Bridget's shocked, if amused look.

She warded the curtains to her bed before her friend could follow her up, and, clutching a pillow close to her still-fluttering heart, let herself give in to the unusually girlish giggles.

_I just snogged Remus Lupin; I am Kagumi Pheonix and I just snogged Remus Lupin! _ She laughed as she imagined the conversations going on in the Common Room. They probably wouldn't be as much fun, since James had firmly been told to go to the Head Boy Dorms ("That's what they're there for, Potter, you can't just sleep in the other dorms for no reason," McGonagall had said, running short of patience.) and to take Lily with him. But the discussion would still have its merit of humor.

* * *

Remus watched Kagumi's hips sway as she went up the stairs and numbly made his way over to Sirius, who was still laughing; he seemed at a loss for words as he sat on the couch, one hand rubbing his bottom lip. It still tingled. "Padfoot..."

"Yes, Moony?"

"What the _hell_ just happened?"

* * *

**Ending Author's Notes:** Okay guys, it's finally out. And in time (here's it's 3:17 am) for everyone to get the notice in their inboxes for the morning! We finally got a Remus/Kagumi kiss, a little more Ram and Cor, some Quidditch and best off, _everyone is back to normal!_ Yay! Don't forget to review and show us your love or non-love.

Whew, that was exhausting to write. Having everyone be so…odd. OH. A tidbit you might need: McGonagall described the spell-gone-awry as not only affecting their genders and chromosomes, but also their hormones. So Sirius, who, before the girls dropped into his life, was somewhat of a playboy, revels in the new sexuality. James becomes more drawn, something he never shows and he hates having it shown against his will, Gumi is already violent and temperamental so that is amplified, and Remus, while being usually level-headed, is used to knowing what's going on; when he doesn't, it sort of freaks him out a bit. So the freak out is what is being amplified. Just to clarify.

Also, the Spanish, for those of you who might not know what's going on, says, essentially, "She is very angry. _Very_ angry."

So…Anybody ready for the next chapter?

* * *

_**Next Time, in Distinctus Inter Nos:**_

"_Cordan…" Raminus trailed off, looking intently at the other Mirror, the one that showed the world the girls had left. __"You should see this, mate."_

"_No, really, she should not know what that is. It's… how does she _know_ that?"_

_He stopped talking as he realized that Raminus wasn't paying attention to his rant, and followed his friend's gaze to the Mirror. A somber-looking young man had arrived at the Griffins' family home, clutching a __blue and white__ cap. He knocked at the door and when Mrs. Griffins opened the door, the young man paused before saying something obviously upsetting__; the woman sagged heavily on the doorframe before turning and, presumably, calling her husband to the door._

"_What does that mean?" Cordan asked, his worries about Bridget and her secret knowledge of male activities disappearing in the light of this new going-ons._

"_I think __it could be problematic," Raminus answered somberly._


	21. Open Doors

_**Disclaimer: **__Neither Kagumi nor Bridget own anything related to the Harry Potter series other than the stuff they've bought and the ideas they come up with. Original characters and most of the situations presented, however, they do own.

* * *

_

**Chapter Twenty:**

Open Doors

* * *

_Nobody can go back and start a new beginning. But anyone can start today and make a new ending. ~ Maria Robinson.

* * *

_

"I hate this."

"Remus," Bridget addressed the pacing boy calmly, her eyes still on her book, "hon, you need to calm down."

"I can't!" he said loud enough for it to nearly be a yell. His eyes searched each of the group's faces and, once he caught sight of the amused look Bridget was giving him over her book, he sighed. He pivoted neatly so his back was to her, ready for another round of pacing. "I hate her," he declared in a confident voice.

"Oh, no, you don't," Sirius said, winking at Jet.

She shrugged in agreeable exasperation; this was getting to be a bit too much. The metaphorical door was open and she wasn't sure why he was so hesitant to walk through, other than the fears he generally had about being a werewolf in a relationship; she couldn't wait until the dual articles were published next week concerning Richard Lionel and his lovely, devoted wife.

"I don't think that's hate you're feeling there, Moons," James contributed. He looked up from the complicated Quidditch diagram he was making for that Friday's first practice (they had two practices a day: flying drills in the morning and actual practice in the evening; the team had voted on a motion to officially hate their captain but James didn't care). Remus didn't deign to reply.

There were several moments of tense silence while Remus glared at them all and pretended not to understand what they meant. They just stared back, looking slightly fearful and more amused than was fair.

"Moony, are you all right?" Peter finally asked, sounding rather small.

"No, I am bloody well _not all right_! Do I _look_ all right to you, Wormtail?" Remus's voice was cuttingly sarcastic and Peter winced. He quickly retreated back to the book Bridget had suggested would help with his Charms essay. This was a battle better suited to the others' quicker wits and thicker skins; though he was getting better, he didn't think he was ready to deal with an irritated werewolf and three brilliant minds _just_ yet.

"Remus," Jet said in a firm voice that simultaneously reminded Remus of his mother and McGonagall. He looked anxiously at her and she calmly pointed to the chair across from her. "Sit down."

He reluctantly dropped into the chair, fully understanding that with that tone it was best to follow the girl's directions, and kicked his feet up on the ottoman; he was obviously sulking. "What?" he asked, sounding very much like a petulant child.

Bridget leveled a stern glare at him. "What is _wrong_ with you?"

"That bloody-minded Irish wench and whatever it is that she's done to me!" Remus said, crossing his arms.

"Irish _wench?_ I take it you mean Gumi?" Jet asked drolly. She crossed one leg elegantly over the other, briefly distracting Sirius from the situation at hand.

"Yes, her," he spat. "I can't sleep, I can't read, I can't even concentrate on anything without thinking of her. Even when she's not around, I can still hear her voice in the back of my head, making snide little comments, or interjecting odd thoughts."

"Hearing voices?" Sirius drawled. "You know, I'm sure Pomfrey knows someone at St. Mungo's, Moons. Should we get you to Dangerous Dai's ward?"

Remus flipped him a rude hand gesture before Jet snapped her fingers, attracting all of the boys' attention once again.

"Okay, so she's grown on you. What exactly is the problem with that? _I've _grown on you, although, no offense, I sincerely hope it's not in the same fashion."

"She hasn't grown on me. She has _not_ grown on me." Remus refused to look at anyone; he seemed to be concentrating on the end of his nose, making him look rather cross-eyed, and Bridget was torn between exasperation and glee.

"…Who are you trying to convince here, Rem?" James asked, not bothering to hide his amusement as he tried to block out the obviously moping boy and the snickers coming from Sirius.

He paused, finally uncrossing his eyes. "Okay, she _might_ have grown on me."

Jet, Sirius and James rolled their eyes as one.

"Jet, I'm so… she's gone and bewitched me somehow," he murmured, dropping his head into his hands. "She's so violent (and I can't even find a way to detest that anymore; it suits her or something), and she's intoxicating and _every time_ I speak with her, it seems there's something more to understand. I can't get her out of my mind, and I'm so damned confused about everything. I can't sleep without seeing her, can't look at her without thinking of wildly inappropriate things and–" he cut himself off, blushing.

"You have no idea how hard I'm trying to not laugh at you right now," Bridget said. Remus was pretty sure he did; he could still hear the laughter in her voice, even if she wasn't literally doing so.

"It's not funny," he whined and it seemed rather pathetic, even to his own ears.

"Of course not," she soothed. "But, Rem, hon, it's quite simple." Jet's lips curled up into a smirk that was easily reminiscent of either Sirius or James at their most devious. "You are in lust. I believe the vernacular terminology is that you want to jump her and, to use one of the less crude phrases, do the horizontal tango."

* * *

"Are you serious?" Severus asked Kagumi, who was laughing uproariously about what she'd just said; all he could do was stare with the strangest feeling that she was an evil mastermind.

"Yes, completely." She gasped for air. "He is so bewildered by me that I can't help but tease him. It's too much fun _not_ to do it. Good Lord, you should've seen him when I touched his leg by accident; he just stared at me." She mimed the blank, dull-eyed stare and Snape's eyes widened. "And he looks at me when he thinks I won't notice. If I weren't used to it, it would be strange."

"And you're the reason he claims not to be sleeping well, according to the illustrious Sirius Black?"

Kagumi just smirked, readjusting her position leaning against him; she did whatever she wanted regardless of his feelings about it and he'd learned early on to just deal with it (since she usually just socked him if he complained).

"You're…" Severus searched for a word in his rather extensive vocabulary but failed to find one. "You're _mean_."

"I know," she said simply, wiping her streaming eyes. "I _am_ mean; I am an horrid, terrible person." That wicked smile bloomed again. "But then again, I don't hear anyone complaining about it."

"You would just tune them out regardless," Severus muttered, adjusting the laces on his shoe.

He hadn't realized that shoes could do so much. Even if they didn't look any different, they felt quite different than his old ones, and he reflected on how he felt in recent days as compared to last year. Neither he nor the idiot Gryffindors had caused so much as a scuffle and their competition in class had simmered down to something almost civil. The lack of tension had improved the morale of the entire school, including him. As a whole, he felt better than he had in months.

Of course, had a certain endearingly-obnoxious witch not decided to take his wardrobe into her own hands, he wouldn't have to break in new shoes. Upon seeing his raggedy old ones, Kagumi had been absolutely horrified ("Severus Snape, how long have you _had_ those things? There's more lace than shoe!") and Flooed Gladrag's Wizard Wear in Hogsmeade and bought him two brand new sets of shoes. She'd been about to place another order, he hadn't bothered to ask what for, when she looked askance at him, saw his humiliated expression and closed the Floo after the package arrived. She hadn't spoken to him about the purchase and with his mind having brought it up, he had to know.

"Why did you stop at two pairs?" he asked suddenly; though the incident occurred a couple of weeks ago, it had been nagging at his mind. His eyes were still trained on the laces of the shoe, and after a plausible amount of time, he began fiddling with the edges of his long robe. He couldn't meet her steady gaze, which he knew was centered on him, as it so often was when they were together.

For the first time in his life, Severus Snape was afraid of what might lie in someone's eyes. He'd been unable to get an accurate read on her since he met her in the courtyard. And, more troubling, he found that the more time he spent with her, the more… he wanted to her to think well of him.

"Severus," she began; he just cut her off.

"I mean, what kind of person spends decent, hard-earned gold on a practical stranger?" he asked, studying the nice black 'trainers' from the order. This was a side of him he'd rarely shown anyone, and didn't know how to _not_ show her; it galled him, just a little, to be at her mercy. "That order cost quite a bit, you know, and I don't have much in the way of –"

"Sev." Kagumi made him look at her; he found no pity in her green eyes, only an understanding so deep it nearly frightened him. He could at once appreciate why Black was attached to her, why Potter found it difficult to get along with her and why several members of Hogwarts were busy buzzing about the two transfer students; they were all-encompassing.

"Yes, Pheonix?" His voice was small, and lacking in the sneer that had made him notorious amongst his peers; without it, he sounded small and uncertain.

"Sev, everyone needs a little pride." She smiled at him, a serene smile that unnerved Severus slightly. "But you have an excess of it. That's not always a terrible thing; I have my own issues with pride. But having a similar problem as you, I know how it feels to have your pride defeated. To feel worthless. Beaten. And I know, when I ordered those shoes, you felt that way. I could see it on your face, mate, so I bought you what you needed, and left it at that."

"But…" he faltered. "What?"

"Severus, I don't just want to be your tutoring student." Kagumi threaded her fingers through his and he found that it was… pleasant. Not as abhorrent as he'd have imagined. "I want to be your friend."

"Only my friend?" he asked, a little concerned about her way of wording that sentence. As much as he enjoyed her company (though he'd rather be tortured than admit that to anyone, especially her) she was no Lily Evans, and though Kagumi's fancies lay elsewhere, he had to make sure. He'd been used too many times by females claiming 'friendship,' even if Potter and Black seemed to think him impotent.

"Only your friend." He saw in her expression trust and fondness, a little smirk that told him she knew exactly what he was worried about and found it amusing; he was unsure whether to be offended by her amusement or not.

"Besides," she shoved him very gently, and smiled as he relaxed just a little more around her. "You know what none of the others except Jet knows."

* * *

"Remus, for the last time, will you stop babbling? Or I will _throw _something exceptionally heavy at your head and I guarantee that I will _not _miss."

"She won't!" James added cheerily.

After a sharp look at the still-hopeful Quidditch captain, Jet closed her book with a snap. Remus looked at her in astonishment; she _had_ been the one to tell him to say what he thought. He suspected he may have been ranting for a bit too long and it amazed him how sheepish that made him feel.

"What's wrong?"

"Look, Remus, I'm going to say this as nicely as I can. Are you listening carefully?"

Reluctantly, he nodded.

"Good. You have to either go after her like you obviously want to, or just keep wanking on your own, but leave me _out of it_. There are seriously some things I just don't need to know about and you lusting after my very good friend is one of them." With that, Jet returned to her book, leaving all four boys completely dumbstruck.

* * *

Cordan stared at the Mirror in horror.

Raminus began to snicker into his sleeve.

"How does she even know what wanking _is_?" Cor asked wildly, flipping through the pages of parchment that detailed their notes. "It's not in here that she should know what that is! My baby cousin should _not_ know what wanking is!"

"She _is_ a growing woman, Cor," Raminus said, very carefully not meeting Cordan's frantic gaze. "And she's not as naïve as you seem to think."

"But she should not know what _wanking_ is!" Cordan wailed melodramatically; he threw his arms over the now-disorganized pile of notes and sighed gustily.

"Cordan, if you don't grow _up_, I _swear_, I'll --" Raminus trailed off, his eyes catching a warning flash from the Mirror to his right; their "office" had been covered with Mirrors since they'd been given grudging permission for this universe. "Cordan…" Raminus trailed off, looking intently at the other Mirror, the one that centered usually on the Dark forces of 1977. "You should see this, mate."

"No, really, she should not know what that is. It's… how does she _know _that?"

Cordan stopped talking as he realized that Raminus wasn't paying attention to his rant, and followed his friend's gaze to the Mirror. A black-haired witch was waving her arm in sharp motions, her curly hair moving with every emphatic gesture. Before her were tables set in a lush, dark toned room; scrolls, pieces of parchment and old books were stacked helter-skelter as several people in black robes rushed about. Most of the people, however, were gathered around her tables, watching almost rapturously as she explained something. It looked as if it could be a scene showing a particularly interesting university lesson.

Except that the woman directing hadn't been a student of anything except Darkness for a good long while.

"What does that mean?" Cordan asked, his worries about Bridget and her secret knowledge of male activities disappearing in the light of these new going-ons.

"I think it could be problematic," Raminus answered somberly.

* * *

Kagumi's hands worked diligently, slowly corkscrewing the little trowel into the rich, dark soil of the greenhouse. It felt good to use her entire body this way, not in quite the way that Quidditch felt good, or the semi-distant history of dancing felt good, but it was a contentment she'd only experienced in the kitchen or else, in her family's land during the summer harvests that were only a blurry memory. The table moved slightly, effectively pulling her from the reverie she'd been indulging in as she planted. Peter had leaned against the table holding little seedlings, which were quivering slightly in the moist heat, jolting the table.

"Is that good Peter?" she asked, wiping her brow. It felt good to work up a slight sweat, but the cold outside was going to be unpleasant in contrast.

There was no answer.

Kagumi turned around. "Peter?" He was there, still leaning, but his gaze was focused far away, towards the other greenhouse, which was barely visible through the layers of foggy glass separating them. Frowning, she silently walked up behind the table and squinted over his shoulder. There, really only a vague outline, a golden-haired silhouette was visible, patiently rearranging a darker figure's grasp on a plant's roots.

Comprehension hit her.

Of course. Peter, the Marauders had claimed, had only shown an interest in Herbology the past two years. But he'd skyrocketed from the bottom of the class to the number two student. And the boys couldn't figure it out. But Kagumi had her own suspicions; countless and often miniscule and easily overlooked incidents that had all shed a little light on his actions. And it had started, for her, with that first Charms class. She knew that Bridget was being tutored at roughly the same time, in another greenhouse. And she knew who was tutoring her friend.

It was Holly.

Holland Wells Harper, the Ravenclaw whom Peter obviously had a crush on.

Oh, this was just _too_ good.

Plans that Kagumi didn't even know she had formed fell into place with minimal effort from her. Jet was going to absolutely _die_ of the irony. Peter had a thing for Holly, Holly seemed to have a thing for Peter, and neither of them knew about the other.

"Pete!" she said. He jumped and turned over one of the bags of extra soil, blushing. Kagumi snickered, even as she helped scoop the spilled potting mix back into the bag. He wouldn't meet her eyes and kept his back to the view of Holly and Bridget; the pink tinge on his cheeks belied where his thoughts still lay.

"Yes, Gumi?" Peter was trying desperately to look as though he hadn't been daydreaming, and it didn't work well. "Sorry, I was...off in my own world."

"I know, my friend," she said softly, laying her hand over his. "I understand." And she did. She knew exactly what it was to have your thoughts so irrevocably centered on one person there was no room for hardly anything else. It changed you, shaped you, infiltrated your every sense, permeated your entire being with awareness of their existence, as if a part of you had been sleeping and had suddenly awoken. And yet somehow, she thought, as he sneaked a look over his shoulder, somehow they all managed to get on. Even Sirius, who was head over heels for Bridget.

* * *

"But then the Aurors came around the back here and… and…" Sirius trailed off. Bridget was staring up at him with wide, adoring eyes; it made her look more like the girls who'd sought after him. It was what he'd been hoping for, but it was a little… strange. He felt his cheeks heat up. "And they surrounded and captured most of Grindlewald's forces, crippling him enough for Dumbledore to be able to duel him fairly."

"What was the… reasoning behind this particular raid?" she asked. She turned her eyes back down to the copy of _A History of Magic _they'd somehow filled with notes during their History lesson. "That other one—the headquarters farther north seemed just as viable."

She sidled closer to him, pressing against his side so she could point out the headquarters she was talking about. Sirius couldn't remember what she'd asked him; his mind had gone pleasantly blank. "What?"

"Why'd they choose that headquarters? Strategically?"

"Um…"

"They'd had a tip from one of Grindlewald's conspirers," a familiar voice said from the door.

Regulus was leaning against the door, smirking at them. He straightened up and strolled over to their table, looking entirely too pleased about interrupting them. Sirius tightened his grip on Bridget's shoulders, just managing not to growl possessively at his baby brother. There was no way Regulus could ever steal a girl from him… probably; Bridget could be different in this just as she was in everything else.

"A tip?" Her voice was interested; she arched an eyebrow, her lips quirking up in that way they did when she was amused by something. "How do you know about this, Reg? It's not in any text I've read."

"Because," Regulus smirked triumphantly, "it was our grandfather. He disagreed with Grindlewald's methods, if not his beliefs. So… the Ministry knew where there would be more people."

Sirius frowned. "I didn't know about this."

"Of course not," he said coolly. "You never listened to Mother when she spoke of our family history. It's of no matter now, Sirius. I'm afraid I need to steal away Miss Griffins for a few moments. There's something we need to discuss immediately."

"It's Bridget, Regulus, and you know it. Stop being a prat." Bridget closed her book and kissed Sirius on the cheek before getting up. "I'll see you later. Adios."

"Bye." Bridget left the brothers alone. Regulus continued to smirk at Sirius, arms crossed smugly over his chest. "What?"

"You couldn't remember what she'd asked you, could you?"

"Of course I could."

"You're going to have to deal with that sooner or later." He shrugged. "I don't need to tell you that you won't get very far if you can't think when she's just sitting next to you, not even paying you any attention. It's a little pathetic."

"Begone, dear brother, before I do something you'd regret."

Regulus bowed slightly to his brother, a mocking grin on his face; he looked a lot like Sirius. "Of course, _dear brother_."

* * *

"What is it?"

"Hm?" Bridget gave him a stern look and Regulus caved. He would've told her anyways; despite the fact that they'd been walking pretty much aimlessly, she could feel the tension vibrating him like a tightly strung wire. "I thought I should inform you of the rumors spreading throughout our illustrious halls of education."

Jet rolled her eyes, huffing softly. "Love, I already know about what they seem to think James and I do in the spare closets around here. I swear, you get caught leaving a broom closet with a boy once and all people can think about is sex, sex, _sex. _It's all so very unimaginative."

"What _were _you—?" Regulus, wisely, decided not to pursue that train of thought. If it involved one of his brother's friends, he probably didn't want to know anyways. "Nevermind. This one has nothing to do with Potter, not very much, at least."

"Oh?" Her eyebrows raised imperiously and Regulus was struck, once again, with how well she fit in with the pureblood society for an American witch with next to no experience in the wizarding world (he wasn't stupid after all; he knew they were keeping something from their Slytherin friends). "Whose bed am I occupying now? I'm afraid I can't keep track of all my secret liaisons. I should probably hire an assistant for that. It's a shame Peter's busy with James and Sirius."

"They're currently under the impression that my favorite brother and I are fighting over you behind Potter's back. Kagumi's heartbroken, of course."

Bridget nodded solemnly, but her eyes were bright with amusement. "Of course. And poor James, he's been betrayed by his best friend over a girl. However will he cope?"

"If things keep going in the direction they seem to, Kagumi will probably soothe his broken heart." _Yeah right_, Bridget thought to herself. _She'd be more likely to snog—oh, ew, not going there; _for indeed the images now twining through her mind of Sirius and Kagumi locked in an embrace that was anything but friendly perturbed her. Regulus's voice brought her back, thankfully; she shook the last image out of her head to focus on his words.

"But, that's only if you happen to throw over the love of your life—which is Potter, of course, being from a respectable family with no Dark connections—for the disreputable, but undeniably charming elder Black, or the possibly evil, but devilishly handsome younger, smarter Black."

"Ah… of course." She tried to frown, but the situation was entirely too funny and she couldn't manage even the slightest hint of displeasure. "I don't know how I'll choose."

"Coin toss?" he suggested dryly.

Bridget giggled and immediately covered her mouth with her hand. They continued walking for several more minutes, going nowhere in particular.

"But," Regulus continued, suddenly serious, "there might be some unanticipated complications. Whatever they've done, Sirius and Potter have always had their admirers, and… your reputation…"

"You did _not _just do that," she said flatly. "My reputation's been shot for quite some time, Regulus. I'm only really friends with boys. And Kagumi and Lily, but people often forget them in light of the bigger scandal."

He sighed and caught himself before he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Bridget, you are a respectable witch with obvious power and intelligence as well as the grace to go along with it; any proper pureblood family would be ecstatic to have you. Nevertheless, if you allow these rumors to continue, it will greatly diminish your standing. You'd likely only be considered for Potter, Sirius, or myself, if only so they do not anger our families. I'm doing the best I can to subdue the rumors, but I can only accomplish so much."

She stared at him for a long while before finally saying, "If you say one more thing suggesting that my only worth is that of a wife and mother, I shall hex you into next Tuesday. Am I understood?" He nodded. "Very good. Besides," she gave him a sweet smile; Regulus completely understood why the entire school thought she had ensnared him, Sirius, and Potter, "I really don't think being limited to you three is that bad of a thing at all."

He had done what he had intended—he had warned her—and he'd mention something to Potter or Lupin so they could watch out for her as well, but he'd not had much hope that she'd take it serious to begin with. She may act and sound like she came from his world on most days, but she most definitely had a Muggle perspective.

"Very well. May I escort you to your dormitory?"

Bridget smiled again. "You're not supposed to know where the Gryffindor dorms are," she accused without much heat. In fact, she sounded amused.

He arched an eyebrow. "I am not an idiot, Miss Griffins. Everyone knows where the entrance to Gryffindor Tower is." He smirked. "The Slytherin dungeons, on the other hand…"

"Are located, obviously, in the dungeons," she interrupted with a voice full of suppressed laughter. "The simplest way to get to them is to use the hidden staircase near the far left hall off of the Great Hall. Go down the stairs, take the first right, pass three more halls before you take a left and it's the blank wall between that horrid painting of a swamp and the suit of armor with the red plume. Password's currently '_serpentine_,' which is just lame, to be frank, _Mister _Black." Bridget gave him a sweet, innocent smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and turned around.

If she hadn't already fallen for his brother, Regulus was pretty sure he'd be in love right now.

* * *

"Gumi!" Sirius strode through the Gryffindor Common Room as though he owned it; going from the alternating admiring looks thrown his way and the death glares being thrown Gumi's direction, it was a fair assumption. "I do not understand women," he declared heavily as he commandeered an armchair from a rather frightened-looking second year girl.

"And you thought you did?" Kagumi inquired, giving him a horribly pleased look over the thin glasses perched on her nose. "What's Jet done now?" Sirius debated asking how she knew it was Bridget-related but decided against it; it was pretty obvious at any rate.

"I… don't really know."

She quirked an eyebrow, setting the glasses down on the table before turning back to him. "What were you doing?"

"We were just studying," he muttered. He ran a hand through his hair (causing a girl in the far corner to swoon) and sighed. Kagumi was finding this whole thing entirely too amusing; she doubted Sirius often talked to girls who liked studying.

"Studying what?"

"History!" he burst out as if he'd just been waiting for the proper cue. "I mean, Defense I understand, and even Transfigurations or Charms or _Potions _makes some sense, but _History_? _Remus _falls asleep in History of Magic. We once caught _Evans _dozing off!"

"Hey! I'd just dozed off for a second." Lily called, coming down the stairs from the Gryffindor girls' third-year dorms; apparently, there had been some mishap with the beds becoming animated and trying to eat one of the girls. "I was studying late for a test," she continued, giving Kagumi a mock glare at the other girl's giggles.

Kagumi barely managed to stop grinning before turning back to Sirius. "Bridget likes history," she tried to explain. "She believes that knowing about history will help with making decisions in the present."

"But she was…"

"Looking at you like you could save the world?" At Sirius's confused nod, Kagumi let her grin melt into a pleased smile. "Bridget likes brains. She knew you were smart before, but now she knows you can think outside of how you're going to pull your next prank. This is good."

"Good?"

"Yes, good."

There was a moment of companionable silence before something sparked in Sirius's eyes and a slow grin spread across his face. "Wait… does this mean that she _does _like me?"

* * *

Double Potions was always a trying class. Whether you enjoyed it or not, brewing potions was always a trial in patience. The tension between the Slytherins and Gryffindors was felt here like nowhere else, even if the rivalry had settled a bit. One side of the room was filled with lion-crested Gryffindors, eagle-crested Ravenclaws and badger-crested Hufflepuffs. The other side was pure Slytherin.

Kagumi was sitting beside Bridget, who was sitting at the same table as Sirius and James; Gumi's table included Remus and Severus. Professor Slughorn had broken from the traditional "pair" work to move on into group work of trios. Or so he said. Therefore, the classroom was set up for trios more than pairs. He had a list he kept making additions to, looking up with bright eyes and a nature suspicious enough that everyone dreaded who they'd get teamed with.

"Why is it," Kagumi leaned towards Bridget, "that no respectable Gryffindor wants to sit on the Slytherin side, and likewise? Has no one ever considered that perhaps the Slytherins are Slytherinesque because they're only limited and exposed to Slytherin culture rather than the school as a whole?"

Before Bridget could open her mouth to respond to the smart-arsed comment, Slughorn looked up from the stack of parchment he was perpetually writing on. "Oh dear, did I spend that much time on – Good Heavens, what time is it?" After a quick look at the watch donning his corpulent wrist, he sighed. "I'm terribly sorry, class. I got a bit carried away." With a flourish of his wand, writing began appearing on the chalkboard; ingredients, order thereof, and notes.

"Today, we're studying an off-shoot of the Healer tonic used to restrain a spell-sensitive and dangerous patient. It's referred to as the Dreznil Distilled Tongue-Stiller, or just the Dreznil. Can anyone tell me where the name came from?"

Slughorn looked around but no one ventured a guess. Severus kept his eyes firmly trained on the Advanced Potions Making in front of him, and the other star Potions student, Lily, was busy copying down the board. He sighed.

"Sir?" a timid voice spoke up from the third table on the right. Peter Pettigrew raised his hand slowly, much to the class's surprise. And to his own, from the panicked look on his face.

Silently, Kagumi and Bridget shared a glance, both of them reading the same thing in the other's expression: encouragement. _Go, Pete,_ Kagumi thought.

_C'mon, Peter, I know you know this. We discussed this when you were studying Charms. You had the Healing charms down pat,_ Bridget silently cheered.

"Yes, Peter, m'boy?" Slughorn looked expectantly at the mousy boy.

"The – the n-name Dreznil comes from the G-Germanic Healer who was courted and turned to the D-D-Dark Forces Council of Munich in 1944."

"Go Pete!" Kagumi reached over Bridget to high-five the trembling Gryffindor. "Knew you could do it," she said, lightly tapping his shoulder. He offered her a shaky, if genuine, smile.

"Jet's been helping me study."

"Peter's quite right," Slughorn's opening lecture interrupted, and Kagumi realized A, how uncomfortable Jet must be, mashed into the table, and B, how precarious her balance was; she was close to falling off her chair. "We'll be researching a notorious spin-off of the more common Healing tonic. A poison like the Dreznil has become very popular with Dark wizards and evil-doers of all sorts in recent years; it has several effects, many of which are quite dangerous to the average witch or wizard. But in order to understand the complexity of the poison, first we must understand the complexity of its creator.

"Dreznil was born Adelbert Dreznil, in a little Muggle village outside Nurnberg, Germany. As he aged, and grew into his magical talents, he discovered a talent for Healing. Growing up in a predominantly Muggle village, young Adelbert encountered all manner of disease in the poor community.

"Dreznil had applied to medical school before becoming aware of his latent Magical tendencies, and when rejected, became enamored with the idea of magically curing the ills. He then went on to seek out teacher after teacher to learn magic, creating several useful Healing Charms along the way, including the ever-popular broken nose healer Episkey. When Dreznil began experimenting with Potions, he found…"

* * *

Kagumi faded in and out, before Severus's sharp elbow in her ribs made her snarl. "He's getting to the actual potion; wake up, Pheonix. Lupin and I have already set up the rest while you were dozing."

She struggled back to wakefulness, with Severus's baleful gaze on her, tuning into Slughorn's jovial, warm voice as he described the potion steps. Everyone else was already holding a syringe in hand, copying Slughorn's stance.

"Now this poison is quite fast to make, but complicated in both its steps and theory. The Dreznil's first ingredient is the extracted Dragon femur marrow, preferably that of the Romanian Longhorn although any but the Welsh Green will do. Take your syringe (such a delightful extraction tool; a Muggleborn brought me those from her mother's 'labradory.' How sweet.) and place the pointy bit squarely inside the center of the bone, push the air out _slowly_, so as not to waste the marrow; after all, it's quite expensive. Then with your hand steadying both bone and syringe, pull the stopper back. Then remove the syringe and cautiously push the air out with the plunger. Be careful not to excrete any of the marrow itself; it works better if you tap it lightly against the table at intervals."

Several students groaned in disgust at the example.

"Yes! Look at that beautiful marrow. Be grateful that this is fresh bone, shipped just this morning. Preserved via magic, which will be nulled by one of the other ingredients; dry marrow smells much different. Now then, transfer your syringe to your dominant hand, and turn to the cauldron. Already resting inside is three pints cold spring water. Take the provided container of hellebore-laced hot water, and add a _thin_ drip of marrow while slowly pouring the hot liquid into the mixture. Be very careful not to breathe fumes."

"Dude," Jet muttered, "this reminds me of high school _chem_."

"I know," Kagumi shot back.

"Good thing the ends of the bone have been sawed off; I don't fancy trying to get marrow with a syringe otherwise."

Kagumi looked at the other girl. "Ooh, that _would_ be unpleasant."

"It wouldn't be unpleasant; it would be nearly impossible."

"Now then, have we all got it added in?" Various murmurs of agreement followed the professor's question. "Righto. Next step, anyone?"

"Adding in the Tiger Lily extract," Lily piped up from her table with Peter and Kamal.

"And how, precisely is it to be prepared, Lily?"

"Stamen shredded length-wise, and then pulverized into a rough ball shape. Dropped quickly into the potion once it reaches a rolling boil."

"Perfect!" He clasped his hands, beaming at her. "Now then, everyone begin shredding the stamen, but please, be careful. Cut away the head of the stamen, and _clean your knife_ before continuing; adding even the smallest speck of pollen could take out the next two dungeons and the classroom above us in a spectacular explosion."

* * *

"Now then, it's minute ten of the twelve minute simmering time. Please, anyone tell me if their potion has a light blue or opalescent sheen; we will all then duck accordingly." Several chuckles followed this.

"What _is_ she doing?" Severus asked, drawing Gumi's attention from their potion.

"Who?"

"Griffins."

"I don't know. What is she doing?"

"I don't know."

"I'm confused," Remus said from the cauldron where he was carefully stirring.

"That's not a surprise, Lupin," Severus huffed.

"And… take your cauldrons off the fire!" Slughorn called; there was a collective hiss as a multitude of cauldrons were set into the water-cooled baths next to the counters. "While that cools, we'll discuss homework, and homework teams."

"Teams?" Kamal muttered.

"Yeah. I think we're working in rotating trios from here out," Sirius said. "That's what seems to be happening, at any rate."

"Long as I don't get stuck with Griffins," Severus said grumpily.

"Sev!" Gumi sighed. "You're her tutor. You've got to work with her anyway."

"Work?" Severus repeated, loud enough to be heard across the room. Several heads turned their way. "You expect me to work with her?"

"Her who?" Bridget asked cheerily.

"Her _you_," James said lowly.

"Me? Well it's mutual, then, because I don't wish to work with you, either. Your logic is inherently flawed, Severus, and I'm relatively amazed you haven't managed to destroy the classroom yet." Bridget's eyes flashed; everyone winced. This was going to turn into yet another Logic vs. Practice debate.

"Ooh," Lily said, sidling over by Kagumi, who had her arms crossed. "That was a good one, but it was a tad early for that sort of snark."

"I'd give her a point for just getting Severus to shut up for a bit," Gumi said dryly.

"Fair enough; he does tend to ramble about Potions, doesn't he?" As one, the pair turned back to the quickly-escalating argument. Everyone's eyes were trained on the insults flying back and forth; even Slughorn, who seemed to be taking notes on his ledger.

"You, Griffins, are truly a primary exhibit of typical Gryffindor arrogance and lackadaisical work ethic," Snape snarled.

"Do tell how so," Jet shot right back, arms crossed.

"I saw that cheap little shortcut you took with the bergamot grinding. _And_ when you were cutting the Glumbumble ichor."

"So he's calling her out? Does that deserve a point?" Lily asked.

"I don't think so. While it was quick, it's got too much of the 'righteous indignation' feel to it; not enough bite. Half point for speed," Gumi said.

"Really now?" Bridget said. "Funny how _you're_ the one who taught me said shortcuts in our last tutor session."

"Och. Nice bite there," Gumi said.

"The student equals the master," Slughorn drawled cryptically. When Severus turned to look at him disbelievingly, he shrugged. "My niece enjoys Muggle movies. She's very persuasive."

"Griffins, if you have to rely on _my_ tricks, then you truly have an astounding lack of Potioneering talent," Severus said, crossing his arms.

Jet blinked, and then laughed. "'Astounding lack of Potioneering talent?' Dear, you need better insults."

"Nice cut down there," Lily observed; she and Gumi had begun marking down the scores. "Very effective. See how he's faltering?"

"Oh, indeed. At least a point for that."

"You know," Severus said triumphantly, "these seem to be working quite well enough. They've gotten a rise out of you, for instance."

"Interesting, interesting," Gumi murmured, reviewing the tallies.

"You have any clue what they're doing?" James asked, brows furrowed.

"Not a one, Prongs, old man. Not a one," Sirius said, head following the rapid-fire row.

"It seems that the girls are scoring Snape and Bridget based on wit, speed and originality of the insult," Remus said, packing his books into his bag. "They're about evenly matched at this point."

"You just keep trying with those, then," Jet snorted lightly. "See if one eventually works."

"Now you two shall make _quite_ a team," Professor Slughorn interrupted with a beaming smile.

"_What?_" Both Severus and Bridget whirled around to face the Professor. With a hand on each of their shoulders, he beamed proudly.

"I simply cannot wait to see what marvelous antidote you two shall concoct together." At their blank stares, he cleared his throat and raised his voice, addressing the entire class. "That's the homework. A three week trio project, research, detail and concoct a fully effective antidote for the Dreznil. To be handed in three double periods from now."

"But sir—"

"How do we—"

Slughorn shook his head at the protests and complaints. "The trio partners have been posted outside this classroom; you can look at them on your way out."

Sirius and James stared at Bridget, who was staring at Snape; the crackling in the air was almost palpable. "Sassy, isn't she?" James offered, rubbing a hand along the line of his mouth; it didn't quite erase the smile.

"Well, Sniv— Snape deserved it."

"You guys do know that they weren't terribly serious, right?" Peter asked. When they all turned to look at him, he shrugged. "Neither of their stances were really angry; I think this was a mutual test."

"Hey Gumi, did you see something fly out the window?" Lily asked, walking with the other girl. Gumi twisted around, looking one last time at Severus, who yelped as he perused the list.

"What?! Griffins and _Black_?" he roared incredulously. "I refuse to work with _Sirius Black_!"

"Yep," Kagumi agreed. "I think it was Sev's pride."

* * *

The room was spinning. James blinked up at the ceiling, wondering whose brilliant idea this had been. It certainly couldn't have been _his_ because he normally knew that it was a bad idea to let an untrained, powerful witch attempt to disarm you. He closed his eyes, wishing that everything would just stay still; hopefully if the room stopped spinning long enough, the sea-sick feeling in the pit of his stomach would go away.

"James?" a worried voice called. Bridget slid to a stop next to him. "James, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said in a pained voice as he sat up, ignoring the bruise blossoming across his shoulder blades. "Perfectly fine. You did that brilliantly."

She frowned at him as she tried to figure out if he was lying to her or not. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would be that… violent."

"It normally isn't." James smiled brightly at her horrified look. "Nevermind that now. I think that's enough practical work for now."

Bridget continued to frown at him skeptically, but she nodded. "All right."

"As I said, don't fret. Now then, we'll pick back -- " As James's head turned towards an owl that flew by, something clicked in his head; it wasn't as surprising as it could've been. Kagumi often referred to James as having the attention span of a dazzled toddler in a toy store. "Did I tell you about your mail?"

"My… my mail?" Bridget asked, brows furrowing. "No. Nothing about any mail. Just the usual complaints, the complimentary newspapers and the begging and attempted bribes (by the way, the _1001 Historical Battles No One Knows About_ edition was a nice touch) asking me to take Hamilton's place again."

"Well, I heard from Mr. Longbottom. He says that there are a few letters he'd like you to reply to if you have the time." James grinned. "It seems you've become rather popular. People are actually listening to you."

"Really?" she replied, sounding surprised. "I thought I'd be more… reviled than effective."

"Well, yes," he admitted reluctantly, "there are those, but Frank's dad takes care of his writers and you are most definitely considered one of his now. I'm relatively sure he'll start courting you for the _Prophet_ sooner or later." Before she could let the worry he saw in her expression take root, he moved on. "Anyways, I have the letters. If you don't want to do it, I can."

"No, no… I can do it."

"You might want some help." Bridget tilted her head to the side, eyes wide and curious. "There are over a hundred of them."

"_What?"

* * *

_

Kagumi had introduced her to the articles, and the girl had been right: they were good. But, if Gumi knew about it, then chances were that Bridget did, too, and Lily wanted to see what someone else thought about the most recent article. It had detailed the life of a Muggle woman named Corriana Sadia, whose status as a magical (even if Dark) creature was setting centuries of magical classification theory upside down.

Lily sat down next to the other girl and patiently waited for her to finish her essay—Transfiguration, it looked like—before she interrupted. "Have you read these werewolf articles in the _Prophet_?" she asked, pulling out the latest.

The scratching from Bridget's quill paused for a moment before she continued writing. "Yes," she said hesitantly. "I've read them. Why?"

"I was just wondering what you thought of the last article. Or any of them, really. It's… good. I didn't think anyone could humanize—pardon the poor terminology— werewolves to the public like this. They're entirely too hated by the general community. I'd like to—"

"Lily," Bridget interrupted in a pained voice. "Can we not talk about this, please?" Lily looked up. The other girl was staring at her book and bright red.

"…Why not?"

"Because, well, I… the articles are… werewolves…" She sighed and dropped her quill before looking up at Lily. "I wrote them."

"You… what?" She couldn't have heard that right. There was no way she had heard that right.

"I… wrote the articles?" Bridget's dark eyes were tired-looking, and there was a definite pink tinge to her cheeks. At Lily's blank look, Jet blundered on to stumble out an explanation. "I wrote them. James had this idea that if someone could humanize them to the public then maybe—"

"Wait. Not only are you saying that you wrote the articles, but you're telling me _James _bloody_ Potter_, the egotist of the century, had a humane and noble thought in his head?" The scorn and— somewhat faint— hope lingered in her eyes for a moment.

"Yes," Bridget continued. "He's a good guy." Seeing the war waging within Lily's heart play out on her face, Bridget put her hand tentatively on the other girl's. "He's getting better, you know. I mean, he'll always be cocky and arrogant, but he's not really that bad; it's just part of his nature, and I can say from experience that his father is pretty much the same way. I like him and I probably would've been more likely to punch him than laugh with the boy I understand he used to be; I have very little tolerance for bullying. But," she continued, determined to move off of the topic of James, "it was sort of his idea. He got me contact with the werewolves, and I asked the questions and took the notes and wrote the articles."

Lily was silent for a long moment. "Does Gumi and the rest of the merry band know about this?"

"No!" Bridget's hand jerked. "No, Gumi doesn't know. Just James and Sirius. She can't know yet."

* * *

James stumbled to a halt, wondering why he was carrying the letters instead of using magic. He dropped the letters onto the table in the room he'd found for him and Bridget to use and dropped into the chair, using his wand to direct the rest of the letters behind him. He'd almost forgotten what tutoring could be like, how utterly _exhausting_ it could be, and especially with a powerful and incurably inquisitive student like Bridget. Answering her questions had been like taking O.W.L.s again; they were trickily worded and well-planned and she was as persistently hyperactive as a three year old (or, according to Remus, him and Sirius).

He heard the door open, just as he let himself rest for a few seconds. Between Quidditch, school, helping Bridget, his Head duties, and Remus's lycanthropy (the last full moon, the previous week, had gone pretty well; if by well one could say horrible. Moony had completely destroyed the top floor of the Shrieking Shack, raging and panting all the time: Sirius had suggested, and James privately agreed, that it was like watching an animal in rut), he didn't have a lot of time for sleep. Bridget was one of the few people who didn't expect him to be… strong all the time; she mothered him just as much as she did everyone else… well, except for Sirius, but that was expected.

He waved her in. "Just give me a few seconds and I'll be ready."

"That's fine, James," she replied as she smoothed down his hair; the action soothed them both. "Take as much time as you need. I brought Lily, by the way."

James jerked to wakefulness, his feet sliding off the table with a dull thump. He fixed the glasses he'd knocked askew by his abruptness and stared at the nervously grinning Bridget; he'd gone from relaxed to… awkward faster than he could ever recall doing. Lily was standing hesitantly near the door and though Bridget now had her back to him, he could sense her amusement.

If it had involved anyone else, he would've been proud of her deviousness.

"Uh," he started, gesturing at the chair Lily was closest to. "Do you want to sit—?"

"Was it really your idea?"

He blinked, feeling like a particularly slow child. "What?"

"Bridget's articles. Were they really your idea?" Lily's eyes were intense on his and, though some distant portion of his brain had registered the fact that it was the longest she'd ever looked him in the eyes without flinching or turning away, there were conflictions lurking in her gaze.

"Her… articles?" She nodded and James turned to give Bridget a stern look. "You _told _her?"

"Um… yeah," she responded sheepishly. His look darkened and she almost faltered, backing away towards the door. "I'm under a lot of pressure! She wanted to _talk _about them."

He sighed, running fingers through his perpetually messy hair. "No. It was Bridget's. Much too brilliant for my ideas; and there was the fact that it worked."

"It was _not!" _The genius in question whacked him lightly upside his head. "Stop being modest; it doesn't suit you. I'll concede that we came up with the idea together, but you are the one who made it happen. I didn't come up with the how and that's nearly as important as the what."

"I—" he stopped and crossed his arms over his chest, doing something very close to pouting. Lily might not ever admit it, but it was kind of cute. "I give up."

"That's new," Bridget huffed slightly, arms crossed.

"You know I'm not—" James dropped off midsentence again. Instead of Lily's normal look of disapproval, she was smiling at him. And not a grimace, or a wince, or a look of disgust. An honest-to-Merlin smile, with her lips quirked upwards and the faintest trace of teeth showing. The glow extended all the way up into her eyes, and suddenly James forgot about arguing with Bridget, who no longer lurked by his chair.

There was a soft click as the door to the classroom opened and shut again, but James was too preoccupied to properly care. After all, Lily had smiled at him. Really smiled.

And that _was_ new.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Guys, I'm so _**sorry**_ it has taken this long to get another chapter out. Life has been absolutely crazy, both for me and for Jet, and so our work slowed down. I battled a nasty bout of writer's block for a while and moved back home to Wisconsin; Biddy has been dealing with NaNoWriMo, her own issues, male troubles (*rolls eyes* and we all know how consuming that can be, right?) and university work.

Also, the job market is absolutely dreadful.

BUT here it is, chapter Twenty. Lots of goody action, and I promise we'll try our best to get the next chapter out there faster.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted, or fav'd us; we love you guys!

~Gumi

* * *

**Next Time, in DIN:**

_Lily glared at Bridget like she wished she could make her spontaneously explode. "_Potter_ is an overconfident, bully and I can't stand the—"_

"_Ahem,__" Kagumi interrupted pointedly; it was obvious that she was still tense, "__while you boy-crazed chickies talk, lemme see your essays. I'll do a quick grammar check__.__"_

_She__ held out her hand, apparently __un__aware of the large, vaguely Australia-shaped splotch of ink on her nose. As the other three rolls wound up in her hands, she read over them, making minor notations._

_Until she got to Bridget's._

"_Bids. Why do you have RJL __and _a heart_ at the top of your essay?" she asked._

"_Um," Bridget frowned at the bundle of papers, "as you can… see, my essay clearly relates the transfiguration of insects into inanimate objects. __But I also believe that we need… um… love to deal with… pests, at least at first.__ Therefore, it stands for— for— um…"_

"_Rapidly jumping locusts," Holly said suddenly, her quick grin being lost on the other two girls. "Those buggers can be hard to catch__, but they can be calmed with a loving touch__."_

"_Rapidly… jumping… locusts?" Lily asked slowly, arms crossed._

"_Yes," Bridget said, hiding her glee. "Rapidly jumping locusts. Nasty little things. Much better to make them into forks. __Once you get them calm, of course." She gave them a quick grin. "All you need is love.__"_


	22. All You Need is Love

_**Disclaimer: **__Neither Kagumi nor Bridget own anything related to the Harry Potter series, other than the stuff they've bought and the ideas they come up with. Original characters and most of the situations presented, however, they do own._

**Author's Notes:** Finally. Sorry for the long wait. For enduring our absolutely horrid updating schedule (or lack thereof, I suppose), you get a longer than usual chapter and we do have several one-shots that we've [mostly poor Jet] have been slaving away over. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One

All You Need is Love

* * *

"_I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you." _

_-Roy Croft

* * *

_

Carefully, Sirius ran his wand along the edges of the sketches of the magical tables in the Kitchen that mirrored the ones in the Great Hall above them. They still hadn't quite figured out how they were going to convince the Elves to follow their plans, but having a map more detailed than the Marauders' Map was good reconnaissance for when their plans eventually worked out. Besides, James had always been good at getting others to follow his plans.

"What are you doing?"

It was only the perilous years of living with James, Remus, and Peter (who could be a sneaky bastard when he wanted to be) as well as the high-stress responsibility of being one of a group of notoriously difficult-to-catch school pranksters that prevented Sirius from jumping out of his skin. At any rate, he'd had experience with McGonagall and Dumbledore sneaking up on him often enough at the absolute _worst_ times that it wasn't even really startling anymore.

Besides, he rationalized to himself, it wasn't like he was avoiding her. With a smooth, swift motion he stowed away the detailed map he'd just made of the Kitchens and Elves' quarters and turned around to bestow upon her his most potent grin, the one that had made other girls weak in the knees.

"Hello, love," he said to her with a wide grin. Looking very much like she was trying not to smile, Bridget gave him an arch look. Sirius realized that she wasn't going to let him ignore her question. He hadn't really expected it to work on her anyways as none of his normal tricks did; it was part of what made her intriguing. "Nothing much. What can I do for you?"

At once, Bridget's amusement melted away and she folded in on herself. Her eyes lowered until she was looking somewhere to his right instead of straight into his eyes and her hands starting fidgeting in front of her until Sirius was tempted to take them in his, if only to stop their nervous dance.

"Um… well, James and Lily decided to help with the letters I've gotten for the articles, but they've been… they've been acting all cutesy and awkward with each other and they're so uncomfortable that it makes _me_ uncomfortable and I _talk _when I'm uncomfortable so I'm just bound to say something incredibly stupid. I can't back out — it is to help me —do you think can you come with me?" Bridget looked up at him hopefully, biting at her bottom lip. "Please?"

Sirius crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, a smug smile pulling at his lips. He liked feeling needed. "Do you need me to protect you from the lovebirds?"

"Uh… yeah?"

It said a lot that she hadn't instantly replied with something witty and exasperated. Frowning, Sirius looked her up and down. Her shoulders were slumped and she seemed… tired, worn out. Why hadn't he noticed that before?

"'Course I'll go with you," he said softly, brushing her cheek with the back of one hand.

Bridget smiled brightly and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered, and when she pulled back she was still smiling. She laced her fingers with his and started pulling him down the hallway, chattering happily about something or another and seeming completely normal once again.

_Oh_, he thought to himself, a warm feeling spreading from somewhere in his chest, _that could be why.

* * *

_

"They _are_ mind-numbingly cute, aren't they?" Sirius muttered to her, sliding an arm casually across the back of Bridget's chair. She looked up to the table where James and Lily were sorting through their stacks of letters.

James pulled a quill out of his knapsack and, while Lily was preoccupied, Transfigured it into a blooming rose. His face softened as he watched Lily brush the hair out of her face, but it regained its normal cocky grin a moment later.

"Hey, Evans," he called lazily.

Lily rolled her eyes and sighed. "What, Potter?"

"What's your favorite sweet? It's still that Muggle Hershey's bar, isn't it? And Sugar Quills?"

Sirius chuckled under his breath, leaning close enough to Bridget that she felt her cheeks flush slightly. "Jamesy's a bit of a stalker, I'm afraid," he whispered just loud enough for her to hear without it carrying on to the others (not that either would notice). "We've tried to break him of it."

Bridget patted his hand to hush him, but she sounded amused. "Shh. I'm being nosy."

With a satisfied smile, Sirius quieted. After all, she was leaning against him and the inevitable 'discussion' that was about to take place between his best friend and Evans was bound to be entertaining, especially with the look of absolute shock on Evans' face. He wondered what exactly James was up to.

"Have you been _stalking _me again?" she snapped at him. Carefully, James levitated the flower near the floor, and up behind her.

"No, that's from the first time," he replied blithely, still watching the flower's movement. "It hasn't changed, has it?"

He smiled earnestly and both Bridget and Sirius could see when her resolve broke. "No, Potter, it hasn't. Do I want to know why you're asking?"

The flower slowly dropped onto the parchment Lily had been reading and James's shoulders relaxed just a bit. "No, you probably don't," he said before giving her another smile and turning back to his own stack of letters.

Lily gave him a suspicious look before she turned around. She froze, her hand hovering over the flower as a soft, fond smile crossed her face. After shooting a quick glance at James to make sure he wasn't watching her, she carefully stowed it away in her bag.

"No," Bridget said softly. "It's just sweet. Boys don't do that very often."

She immediately turned a soft shade of pink and went back to her letters. Sirius sighed and picked up one of the envelopes in his own pile. Great; she'd managed to embarrass herself and now he was going to have to actually do something other than flirt. Resigned to his fate, he slit the letter open.

* * *

The parchment was rough in his fingers and the elegantly looped words felt like they were burning themselves into his mind. James stared steadily at him from his seat, looking rather more serious and adult-like than he normally did. Peter was still reading over his shoulder, so Sirius took the opportunity to read it again.

_Dear Mr. Gryphons,_

_I want to thank you for the recent articles you've written for the Prophet. I was turned on to your piece by a friend of mine in London and have quickly become a staunch supporter of both you and __The Daily Prophet__. Since my son was turned and shortly thereafter took his own life, I have attempted to avoid anything related to lycanthropy— whether it is positive or negative. Nevertheless, I am glad I read this._

_Your writing captures the pain and the possibility that every person has, werewolf or not. You've shown the humanity that resides within each werewolf, the humanity than many, including werewolves themselves, often refuse to see; I truly hope that this will open the eyes of those who have been blinded by centuries-old prejudice and fear._

_My only wish is that my David had been able to see what this will start._

_Sincerely,_

_Abigail Jeffreys_

_Salem, Massachusetts_

"Wow," Sirius said, running a hand through his hair as he tried to keep his tone light. "That brings back memories."

"Indeed it does, Padfoot," James said wearily.

They'd been answering letters for over two hours and his fingers were bone-weary from scratching out response after response. Peter, who had happily dropped in on them sometime after the first hour, looked up with dark memories swimming in his eyes. He was just glad the two girls had abandoned the letter answering, having finished their own piles, and begun doing some homework before he'd reached that letter; they would've been able to see that something was wrong with him instantly.

"I really try not to remember that," Peter said softly. "Moony was crazy back then."

"Oh, he's still crazy," Sirius volunteered, stretching back with a sigh. "Just in more of a good way these days. Then he was more… lost."

"I remember," James said softly, shooting a glance at Lily and Bridget, who were speaking in hushed whispers and looking at the same book over at the other table, "I remember the day he actually tried."

"Merlin, that was terrifying," Sirius shivered. The deep gashes on Remus's arms had barely been healed in time, and he wouldn't have even been found if Peter hadn't had to nip back to the dormitories for the Cloak.

"He's told us to go on without him," Peter said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I should have known. He wasn't right."

"Wormtail, it's all right," James said, running his hand across Peter's shoulders. "Even you couldn't have seen what he was planning."

"Wormy, it's fine," Sirius said.

"Uh-oh."

There was an explosion from the other table (apparently, Lily and Bridget had both tried to practice the same spell at the same time, and wound up exploding two of the four legs of the table, causing all of their books and papers to fall to the floor while the girls looked on, identically wide-eyed) and suddenly the tense mood of days gone by was broken. None of the three boys said it out loud, but they were all rather relieved. The fact that Remus had tried to take his own life was depressing in and of itself, and the letter from Mistress Abigail Jefferys had brought those memories to the surface. Without a word, the three boys each penned a response and sealed the envelope.

* * *

"But, Bridget, I don't want to go."

Bridget blithely ignored her friend in favor of skipping down the hallway, dragging the awkwardly hopping Ravenclaw girl behind her. Finally catching her footing, Holly Harper dug in her heels, reeling Bridget backwards.

"What?" she asked, blinking in a decidedly confused manner. "Why not?"

"Because," the blonde girl said firmly, "they are your friends, not mine. The Marauders don't just allow everyone to hang out with them and I doubt they'd want someone like me around."

Bridget seemed to consider this for a moment before a broad grin spread across her face. "Bollocks."

"What?"

"The boys will be perfectly happy to have you there — you don't even have to worry about James and Sirius, or Gumi right now — and Lily will be there." She gave Holly an earnest look. "You like Lily, don't you?"

"Yes," Holly replied slowly as Bridget started to drag her towards the pitch again. "Lily's fine, but I don't think— I don't know— _Bridget Ashlyne!" _

She didn't as much as pause, although she did slow down to a soft, but nonetheless brisk pace.

"Yes?"

"You are such a — such a hardheaded _Gryffindor!_"

"I know. Isn't it brilliant?"

"Not really," Holly mumbled, letting herself be tugged along behind Bridget, as they made their way through the winding evening crowd to the Quidditch Pitch.

"Hey, Griffins!" Regulus called from behind them.

"Sorry, Reg. Gotta get to the Pitch," she called, slowing down enough that, much to his amusement, he could easily catch up.

"Oh, is the Gryffindor team practicing?" he drawled, looking vaguely interested; for all his bluff, the Quidditch player in him knew that the Gryffindors were good. "Mustn't miss my dear brother. Might I tag along? I don't think Potter would mind all that much."

Bridget gave him the same, bemused smile he enjoyed pulling from her. "Of course he would," she said with a slight shake of her head at his ridiculous behavior. "You know that James gets just a _tad _bit paranoid over practices. Can we talk later?" A little bemused despite himself and more thrown off, Regulus nodded his consent. "See you!"

She threw another bright smile at him and resumed dragging the poor Ravenclaw girl with her. Belatedly, Regulus remembered that Harper's cousin was the Ravenclaw captain and had declared an everlasting quest to dethrone James Potter and his Gryffindors.

* * *

"That looks dangerous," Holly muttered, eyes fixed on James as he shot through the air like she was watching a deer stray too close to the sleeping alligator. Currently, he was flying upside down with the Quaffle clutched to his chest, aimed straight for the goal posts.

"Hols, that's the tamest thing he's done all practice." Bridget patted her hand, eyes tracking the various movements of the players. It reminded the other girl of the one Defense professor they'd had who had been obsessed with strategy and was frighteningly brilliant. Holly vaguely wondered if it was at all wise to be her friend. "It'll be okay."

"Careful, Sirius," Kagumi called, swinging her bat at the incoming Bludger. "That one almost hit you."

"Pshaw, yeah right," he replied easily enough, darting in front of her to hit the returning Bludger away.

"Hey, that was mine!" she grumbled, raising her bat threateningly.

It was a scene that had become so common on the team that everyone else (including their often-frantic captain) tended to ignore them. She'd never actually hit him with it. Well, not without proper cause. And a lot of temper. Nevertheless, Sirius poked her with his own bat before swerving out of the way of her retaliatory swing and darting out of her grasp. Guadalupe Hamilton, the veteran Seeker, glared at the two of them as Sirius nearly flew straight into her, preoccupied with staying out of Kagumi's reach.

"Those two're close, huh?" Holly asked, watching the pair.

"James and I have decided it's the matching brain damage. There's no other logical explanation," Bridget said absent-mindedly. Her concentration was on Hamilton; the girl looked like she could happily wring Gumi's neck and that was on top of her already deep-seated hatred of Bridget.

"We're gonna try out a new play," James yelled over the groans of the team. He sounded so irate that even the two Beaters stopped their horseplay to pay attention, Gumi hovering entirely too close to their Seeker.

* * *

Kagumi growled irritably, trying her best to tamp down the urge to kill James. It had been a bad day already, beginning with him waking the entire team up at four in the morning, a panicked gleam in his eyes, only to pace maniacally and rant in the Common Room for an hour while his teammates dozed. Somehow (Gumi blamed Bridget's matter-of-fact, mostly positive analysis of the Slytherin team the night before) he had convinced himself that the team hadn't practiced nearly enough and the first game of the season was that weekend.

James's madness had led to extra-early morning flying drills in the cold October rain. And since the obsessed idiot had let practice run much too long, all of the seventh years had missed breakfast and been late for Defense. And now they'd finished a second, evening round of practice.

Kagumi was going to make James Potter pay.

She wasn't sure how yet, but a vague idea was forming in her mind of Brussels sprouts (he did hate those with a passion), leek stew and the color pink. A fluorescent pink skin-tone might set off his hair nicely, and if she could rope Lily Evans into it, and maybe Severus too, then they could concoct a potion that might last for quite a time and—

"Pheonix!" Hamilton snapped; the sound yanked Kagumi out of the pleasantness of her vengeful plotting with a nearly audible snap. Sirius, who was walking next to his partner, caught the sharp spike of anger now flooding Kagumi's scent. "Don't you walk away from me when I'm talking to you."

Sirius was alarmed by the stiffness of his friend's body, by the chill the air had taken around her and by the fact that when she craned her neck to look at the fuming Gryffindor Seeker, it cracked. Bridget, with Remus, Peter and Holly ran over and skidded to a halt in the grass.

"Hamilton, you're not talking to me. You're berating me. You are trying to make me feel worse in order to make yourself feel better," Kagumi's voice was cold as ice, and cut through the air like steel. "I suggest that you turn your short self around and go back to doing whatever it is that you do when you're not mucking up plays."

"You dare talk to me like that?" Hamilton stomped her foot like a bloody _toddler _and leveled a dangerous glare at Kagumi, who'd turned away to start walking again. "You're nothing but a pathetic social climber who can't seem to decide who she's sleeping with!"

"Say… what?" Kagumi turned to face her again. Bridget drew her wand as a precaution. She wouldn't have to use it; it wouldn't go that far. Well, probably. "Want to run that by me again, _Guadalupe_?"

"Oh, this is not going to be good," Bridget muttered to Holly, who was hovering on the edge of the group, as though still uncertain of her place.

"You are nothing but a Yankee washout that happened to snare Black, although I can't imagine what sort of spell is possibly that strong. You can't Beat, you can't play and you seem woefully understudied in all areas of magic." There was a distinctly malicious glimmer in Hamilton's dark eyes. "Hell, even shabby old Lupin won't want you after Black tires of you."

There was a single beat of silence before chaos erupted.

James shouted from across the field where he had been stowing away the equipment as Sirius lunged for Kagumi, a moment too late. Now that they were wrestling on the ground and he could accidentally hurt her, he seemed to be at a loss, wand hanging loosely in his hand. Bridget was the only one who remained calm, if a bit irritated with the change in pace and held her wand at the ready in case she had to intervene… again.

Suddenly, they froze. Hamilton was on her back, hair a tangled mess of grass and a wicked smirk on her lips as Kagumi sat neatly on her chest, fist drawn back with what looked to be a nose-breaking punch primed. For someone pinned beneath an angry, trembling teammate, Hamilton seemed remarkably unworried; it was Kagumi whose chest was heaving, fury and hurt warring for space on her face.

"Do it," the Seeker sneered. "Do it and you're off the team and back where you belong."

The phrase seemed to strike Kagumi, and quite bluntly. Not bothering to hide her contempt for Hamilton, she slowly clenched and unclenched her fist, dropping her arm. "I am where I belong," she growled, upper lip curling as she glared and pushed to her feet, walking away with a very stiff back and noticeable limp. As she passed, Sirius held out an arm to her but she ignored it, continuing savagely towards the castle alone.

As one, the remaining Gryffindors turned to glare at Hamilton, still lying on her back with a smug smirk on her face. Then Sirius gave her a disgusted look and turned his back to her to make his way back to the castle; the lack of a temper was even more frightening than any of his hexes would have been. Peter and Remus glanced at the others before hurrying off after Sirius, leaving her with her Captain and Griffins giving her identical frowns and the rest of her team hovering uncomfortably on the pitch.

Bridget's wand was no longer in her hand, but Hamilton somehow felt more threatened by the girl's cold glare. A hex was something she could get Griffins in detention for, but a lack of reaction… Hamilton had no doubt the other girl was nearly as creative with the rules as the boys. After all, she'd seen Griffins' Quidditch tactics.

"James," Bridget said in a level voice before her lips twisted up into a small, harsh smile, a wicked gleam in her eyes, "if you need me, I'm yours."

He got the implication instantly, as did his current Seeker, and nodded shortly. With a mocking nod to Hamilton, Bridget turned and hurried off after Sirius. After a moment, James pointed at Hamilton.

"You. Locker room. Now," he said quietly; the look in his eyes sent chills down everyone's spine. And as the rest of her team walked away, none even bothering to look at her, Guadalupe Hamilton knew she'd messed up.

Badly.

* * *

The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Bridget was almost (but not quite) astounded to see that Remus had somehow beaten the rest of them up there. Or, at least he'd beaten her and James (the dressing down that James had given Hamilton had been long enough that Bridget had almost regretted agreeing to wait for him… until the other girl had walked out with red-rimmed eyes), the other boys were hiding in the corner, courageous Gryffindors that they were. To be fair, Gumi did have a terrible temper and Sirius was probably too exhausted to be of any use.

The bravest of them was standing, rather calmly, in front of a spitting-mad Kagumi, still dressed in her practice robes. She seemed to be pacing; not that that was an unusual sight in the least. It was something the girl had a bad habit of doing when stressed and/or restless. Luckily for everyone, least of all the other innocent, clueless Gryffindors, it was a Friday night and most of the other students had somewhere else to be.

They'd just gotten the blood out of the carpet from the last time someone had upset Gumi. (It had been an accident and, well, Sirius, so no one was really worried over it, but it was a good way to keep the annoying ones out of the way, even if the story seemed to change as it percolated through the student body.)

"Kagumi, will you just look at me?" Remus sighed, rubbing his temples and trying to ignore the fact that he was on his last nerve too. What the Seeker had said bothered him on more than one level, and one could tell by her restless striding that there also was more on the witch's mind than Hamilton. "I know that you're upset with Guadalupe—"

"Do _not_ speak that little twit's name to me right now," she snarled, pivoting again.

James slowly nudged Bridget through the entrance, and proceeded to quietly (he refused to call it sneaking; cowards snuck around and hid behind girls) proceed up to the corner of the room where the others were sitting. Bridget rolled her eyes, hiked the bag higher on her shoulder and followed. There was no change in either of the two Gryffindors.

"You know what she said was out of line and you know that James and Sirius will take care of it. Now will you stop _pacing_ and let someone look at your knee?"

"I don't need Potter to fight my battle for me! Gods know that if I let James bloody Potter or Sirius flippin' Black defend me all the time those damned rumors will never die down." She whirled around, pain and fury blazing on her heart-shaped face. "And my knee is _fine_."

"Sure it is," Remus said shortly. "Which explains why you're still limping and it's not getting any better, but has, in fact, gotten much worse."

"What happened to her knee?" James asked Bridget softly as they set their bags down.

"She twisted it somehow when she, er, tackled Hamilton," Peter said, still slightly impressed with the speed and ferocity of the short grappling match.

"What is Hamilton's deal with me and Gumi?" Bridget wondered. "I mean, I know you wanted me on the reserves but I thought she and Gumi got along fine."

"When Hamilton first tried out for the team," Sirius said, settling his arm around Jet's shoulder; it seemed that lately, Kagumi wasn't the only one who wanted physical comfort when an upset happened, Bridget thought as she leaned closer, "she initially tried for Beater. But I couldn't work with her, and she was too dramatic. So James tested her for Seeking and she came up pretty good. Therefore, she's now Seeker and I think she's jealous of Kagumi's success."

"Don't forget the giant crush she had on you until last year," James muttered ominously. That had just been bad all around; Sirius still couldn't stand the sight of Fizzing Whizbees and Hamilton always blushed when asked about the Honeydukes Incident.

"But Prongs," he sighed with fervor, "I _wanted_ to forget it."

"Now Padfoot, you really can't expect me to let you live _that_—"

A loud snarling sound interrupted the attempt at joking and the four Gryffindors' attention snapped back to the couple on the other side of the Common Room just as Remus interjected himself into Kagumi's pacing. He grabbed her arm when she tried to continue to pace around him again.

"Let. Go," she growled.

"No. We need to talk."

"Lupin, you've no right to interfere." Hissing, she tried to jerk her arm away, not meeting his amber-colored eyes.

"Have any of you ever noticed that she only calls him by his last name when she's mad at him?" Peter asked with the tone of one observing an interesting experiment.

"Yes, she does, doesn't she?" Bridget mused. She gave them another almost disinterested look before pulling out a book and going back to her reading, nestled snuggly against Sirius's side.

"You gave me the right to interfere when you kissed me," Remus hissed right back, loud enough to be heard across the room and make her snap her head up to look at him. There was fire in her eyes, and it shot a thrill right down to his toes. "Which I still want to talk to you about."

"Remus, just cut it out!" Kagumi scowled, her hair coming loose from the long braid as she twisted it around her other hand, something the Gryffindors had noticed her doing when she was angry or in deep thought. "I said I don't want to talk about it, and I don't."

"And I say we need to talk about it," he persisted, not letting go of her hand.

With the viciousness of a trapped cat, she swore in what sounded like seven different languages as she twisted her arm this way and that to loosen his grip. Nothing seemed effective, even the painful threat of kicking him in the shins. James and Sirius both fought down their protective instincts (although neither boy knew _who _precisely needed the protecting). Whatever happened, there was no doubt that there would be bruises come morning, even if she was causing them herself.

"Lupin!" Every movement of her body sent a new jolt down him as he pulled her closer. Finally, as he wrapped his other arm around her, she stopped fighting. And a new sort of trembling took place of the fury she'd held onto for Hamilton.

"Tell me the truth, Gumi."

"It was a bet, all right? Travis wouldn't leave me and Sirius alone, kept making all sort of snide remarks and nearly ruined my Runes homework. So I made him a bet that if I could prove Sirius and I weren't dating, he had to leave us alone."

"What an idiot," he murmured, catching the scent of her hair and resisting the urge to lift the fraying braid to his nose.

"I am not an idiot!" she protested, shoving weakly at his chest. It was annoying; although getting him to gain weight had seemed like a good idea at the time, it was coming back to bite her in the arse now. It was harder to fight her way free and she couldn't flee from the close embrace; she wasn't even sure if she wanted to anymore. "Anyway, so his condition was for me to snog the next person through the entrance, so I did. Blind luck it turned out to be you." Kagumi refused to meet his eyes. "That's all it meant, Remus. Just a bet."

"Liar," he said softly, making her look at him. "I can tell when you lie, you know."

"Remus…"

"How odd…" he said, not looking away from her. "Miracles do happen; Sirius was right. Redirecting emotion seems to work." His arms were still locked around her, and she reluctantly let herself rest her head on his shoulder. She wanted to hate him for the fact that he made her want to curl into him, wanted to hate him for the fact that at his touch the rage and anger and hurt fled, and all that was left was weariness. "Now will you let me look at your knee? Or at least let someone bandage it?"

"She deserved it," Kagumi said simply, not making any effort to resist as he picked her up and carried her to the table where James and everyone else sat. "For what she said. But I didn't do it."

"No, you didn't," Sirius said, readjusting so that Peter (who'd found himself to be particularly good at Healing charms) could get to Kagumi's painfully swollen knee. "And I'm very proud of you for it, love." He kissed her forehead as Peter finished bandaging her knee and Remus subtly adjusted her on his lap.

"Gumi, we have a study session tonight with Lily and Holly," Bridget reminded her from behind her book. "Will you make it to the Head's commons, or should we just have it here?"

Kagumi snarled under her breath and stood with a quick hiss of pain; the fire flashing in her eyes, though, brooked no argument. "I'm perfectly capable of walking, you know." Her voice was coolly civil, and her expression dismissive despite the small flashes on pain. "I did walk all the way up here unaided."

"Don't get like that with me. The only reason you made it here is because you're a—"

"Aye," Peter quickly interrupted, "and you just about had to go to the Hospital Wing too!" He stood against her, facing her down. One eyebrow quirked in either annoyance or amusement on Kagumi's face, but she didn't call him on it. Instead, she laid one hand on his shoulder, her knee naturally held off the ground from the tension of the bandage.

"Peter, really. I'm fine, see?" She tried to put her leg down and support her weight on it.

Managed quite well, too, until it gave out beneath her and she stumbled backwards into Remus, who'd been hovering behind her. His arms went around her, keeping her from hitting the ground, and she growled low in her throat. He grinned as the sharp smell of frustration, and a little fear flooded her scent; she was flustered, and he was finding that enjoyed it immensely.

"I guess you're not so fine, hm?" he asked smugly, setting her back on her feet. He didn't even mind as she leaned away from his steadying hand.

"I don't know about that," she said sarcastically, leaning against Jet's chair (which effectively put both Jet and Peter between her and Remus, something not lost on any of the viewing party). "You can't seem to keep your paws off me."

"Correct me I'm wrong but these rather look like hands to me," Remus grinned.

"Whatever you say, you bloody little—" Gumi was interrupted mid-insult.

"Gumi, please don't start another fight. It's getting late and I am much too tired to help you clean up a crime scene," Bridget sighed, finally shutting her book and giving the conversation the entirety of her attention. "And if you're going to the Head's room early, I might as well go with you so I can maximize my time snickering at your hobbling."

"Some friend you are," Gumi muttered, even though she'd admit even to herself that her walking more resembled hobbling about; Peter really knew how to conjure bandages. "I'm only good for entertainment value, apparently."

"Oh, I don't know, I'm sure we could find another use or two for you. Remus is clever; I think we should ask him," she grinned at the hobbling girl who, taking a leaf from James and Sirius flipped her off rather cheerfully. With a muttered goodbye to Remus and a hug for the other boys (all at once, Bridget was amused to see, right before she was dragged into it, too) the two girls left the Gryffindor Common Room, setting off to the right.

* * *

"You're really worked up over this, aren't you?" Bridget asked after a few minutes of walking.

"Over what?" Kagumi sighed, still limping. Now that the boys were out of sight, and no one was really paying attention to them in the hallways, her face showed a bit more pain and a light sweat had broken out across her brow.

"How bad is your leg, really?' Bridget demanded, crossing her arms. When Kagumi shot her a stubborn look and tried to keep going, Jet set her foot on the hem of Kagumi's robe, causing the other girl to stumble and lean against the wall, lips screwed up against the whimper in her throat. "You've done something more serious to yourself than you're letting on."

"I think it's one of my tendons. Or something. No idea. I don't even remember the physics of the fight, Bids. Just… jumping at her. Attacking any square inch of her I could find."

"That did seem to be her intention, you know. To make you lose control of that temper of yours. C'mon," Bridget muttered, offering her shoulder; the other girl shot her what could be considered a naked look, one of gratitude and understanding, before they set off again. "Maybe Lily can get you to take some potions or something."

"Doubtful, but she can try." By the time that they'd reached the obscure hallway, still on the seventh floor, that led to the tapestry of two deer in a meadow Kagumi's breathing had sped up, and she was trembling and white-lipped as Lily ran to meet them.

"Kagumi, what happened?" Lily asked, helping the girl through the entrance and getting her to sit on the loveseat. Bridget took a moment, while Gumi was bringing out her textbooks, to grab Lily's arm and drag her closer to her bedroom door.

"Gumi's gone and injured her knee but won't admit it. And she won't take anything or let anyone help her. Do you have any basic Healing potions? Otherwise we may have to knock her out and hope for the best." Lily mutely nodded, jerking her thumb towards the bathroom located off of her bedroom. Jet sighed with relief and left to rummage while Lily sat down beside Kagumi.

"How'd you hurt your knee, Gumi?"

"Scrapping with Hamilton," the girl mumbled, eyes scanning her half-completed essay. "Cheeky little bint insulted the _osik_ out of me. When is Holly supposed to get here?"

"Soon," Bridget said, holding a hastily-conjured goblet. She held it out to Kagumi. "I brought you something to drink."

"What did you do to it?" Kagumi asked, not making any move to take it. "I know you, Bids, and you're sneakier than the boys when it suits you to be. That stuff sounds too thick to be just water, and smells a little funny to boot."

"If you don't take it, I will not hesitate to restrain you and pour it down your throat. I've seen James and Sirius do it to Remus when he gets in a snit, so I will do it to you."

"And I'll help," Lily added with a grin.

"…Fine," Gumi grumbled, taking the goblet and chugging it. "There, I took it. Now are we going to study or would you like to threaten me a bit more?"

"While threatening you is always fun—"

"Bridget."

"Fine, fine, we'll study. Do calm down."

The tapestry entrance opened again, and Holly came tumbling in, relieved that they were all in one place. "Kagumi! I saw the fight, but I didn't know you were injured; some poor Hufflepuff first year is going on about how you're dying!" ("Oh, for heaven's sake, I swear the rumor mill in this school gets wilder every year," Lily muttered, one hand to her forehead.) "Are you alright? Do you need anything? Ice, bandages, a potion? Should we call St. Mungo's?"

"What I need," Kagumi said irritably; it was clear that the girl was clenching her teeth in frustration, "is for everyone to quit coddling me. I'm fine, Holly. I just want to study. Occupy my mind and all."

"All… alright then," Holly said uncertainly, plopping down in the chair by the fireplace. Bridget sat next to her while Lily just took the other end of the sofa Kagumi was occupying. It wasn't until Kagumi sighed and stretched out her leg that Holly dug in her bag. "What shall we start with?"

* * *

There had been a few strange and insane moments after Bridget had muttered the wrong incantation for a foul weather charm and set Lily clucking like a chicken, but everything was fine now. It hadn't harmed the other girl, even if it had taken a good ten minutes to reverse since the rest of the group was laughing themselves into tears. Nevertheless, they had managed a good, roughly solid two hours of studying before Holly stopped focusing and started fiddling with her quill.

"Bridget?" Holly asked (a very brave moment for Ravenclaw — not many would risk startling the girl when she was trying a new spell, especially considering what had happened with the foul/fowl mix-up earlier). "Can I ask you something?"

Bridget tilted her head, frowning at the Runes she'd drawn in the air. "You just did," she replied distractedly, watching how the smoky shapes interacted with one another.

"Something else," she murmured. Holly looked back down at her homework, frowning at it quite spectacularly.

Taking stock of the other girl's body language wasn't hard, and Bridget frowned in a much more focused and concerned way, lowering her wand. As shy as the other girl normally was, she had never been this nervously quiet. "Holly, is something wrong?"

"I," she sighed and when she continued speaking, it sounded forced, like she had worked herself up to that point. "I, erm, I think I fancy someone."

This caught everyone's attention and Holly instantly flushed red under the gazes of her three friends. She fidgeted uncomfortably with her quill, hoping someone would speak.

"Oh. Who?" Bridget finally asked.

"One of the… Marauders, as it is." Holly toyed with her parchment, rolling and unrolling an edge.

"Please tell me it's not Jame — Potter or Black," Lily rolled her eyes. "Either of them will end up breaking your pretty little heart."

"No," she started hesitantly, "neither of them. James is too prank-happy for me, and swings often between serious and blissfully innocent too easily. And Sirius thinks he's Merlin's gift to women. Or at least, he used to," Holly shot a sly look at Bridget, who said nothing. She didn't have to; the pink tinge on her cheeks said everything for her. "Remus is rather handsome, though, don't you think?"

Kagumi's hand tightened momentarily on her quill, listening to the sudden tense silence in the room. Lily raised her eyebrows as the shorter girl seemed to shrink in on herself and shut her book rather forcefully.

"Yeah, I guess he's all right."

She seemed to be scanning her essay, but her eyes weren't moving, and her mind wasn't anywhere in the Heads' Common Room. Of course, had she been in her right mind, she'd have noticed that Holly seemed uninterested in whether they replied to her, as long as the scrutiny was focused elsewhere; it was a stalling tactic Kagumi was most familiar with, as Jet used it quite often. As it was, she focused instead on a spot on her essay with such force that Lily was quite surprised it hadn't begun to smoke yet. (Of course, given what she'd heard from Remus and Sirius's nearly fond remembrances of summer, things _had_ been set on fire when Gumi was in a foul mood, so it might only be a matter of time.)

Bridget sneaked an unnecessarily sly glance at her (Gumi wasn't noticing _anything_), before sketching the letters RJL on a corner of her parchment with an accompanying heart and giving Holly a sharp poke in the side. The other girl glanced down and rolled her eyes, nodding. Anyone who knew either Remus or Kagumi would be able to tell that they fancied each other.

"So then you like Peter?" Lily asked with a grin. "If it's none of the other three — and believe me, I've seen girls interested in Lupin, they don't act like you are — then it has to be Peter."

"Well, yes. I rather fancy him." Holly blushed.

"That is so _sweet_," Bridget said, grinning as she draped herself over Holly's lap. She peered up at the other girl with her eyes innocently wide. "Are you thinking of a spring or summer wedding?"

Holly flushed red. "I'm not sure. I think Sirius would look dashing against a snowy backdrop," she replied, eyes sparkling. "Don't you agree?"

"That is so not—"

"Oh come on, Bridget," Lily interrupted. She was grinning just as widely as Holly when it came to teasing the other witch. "Everyone knows how Sirius looks at you; he hasn't even shown interest in another girl since you showed up."

"I'll take your sage advice then, _Mrs._ Potter," Bridget snapped back, sulking.

"I'll have you know that James—"

"James, is it now?"

Lily glared at Bridget like she wished she could make her spontaneously explode. "_Potter _is an overconfident bully and I can't stand the—"

"_Ahem_," Kagumi interrupted pointedly; her tension was still obvious, "while you boy-crazed chickies talk about your various romance issues, lemme see your essays. I'll do a quick grammar check."

She held out her hand, apparently unaware of the large, vaguely Australia-shaped splotch of ink on her nose. As the other three rolls wound up in her hands, she read over them, making minor notations.

Until she got to Bridget's.

"Bids. Why do you have RJL and a _heart_ at the top of your essay?" she asked, exasperatedly.

"Um," Bridget frowned at the bundle of papers, "as you can… see, my essay clearly relates the transfiguration of insects into inanimate objects. But I also believe that we need… um… love to deal with… pests, at least at first. Therefore, it stands for — for — um…"

"Rapidly jumping locusts," Holly said suddenly, her quick grin being lost on the other two girls. "Those buggers can be hard to catch, but they can be calmed with a loving touch."

"Rapidly… jumping… locusts?" Lily asked slowly, arms crossed.

"Yes," Bridget said, hiding her glee. "Rapidly jumping locusts. Nasty little things. Much better to make them into forks. Once you get them calm, of course." She gave them a quick grin. "All you need is love."

* * *

Nearly the entire school was watching warily as James rotated the fork between his fingers that morning at breakfast. There was a breathless quality about the observing masses, and it pleased him to no end. He leaned back with a satisfied grin that struck fear in the hearts of nearly everyone at the head table (Dumbledore, for one, definitely didn't _fear _the Marauders — he found them quite amusing). Remus, Sirius and Peter had similar pleased looks on their faces; anyone who knew them would worry about what they'd done, especially when they took into consideration that it was All Hallow's Eve.

Minerva McGonagall already had their detentions planned with an alternate week's worth of detention if they had put Severus Snape in drag. Again.

In preparation, Lily Evans had triple checked all of her possessions and subtly casted _Finite Incantatum _on everything she touched from the moment she woke up. It was something she'd learned after six previous years of Halloweens with the Marauders. Some of them had amused her, reluctantly, but mostly they just caused problems for her to solve.

Bridget Griffins had resolved to stay close to her friends if only for the safety of proximity (as long as Sirius Black or James Potter had an arm around her shoulders, she figured she was safe enough) and Kagumi Pheonix had several plots for revenge planned if the boys were stupid enough to pull anything on her. Of course, she'd also held out hope that they'd let her in on the secret, too, and so far that hadn't happened either.

The Marauders were… smug and it frightened everyone.

* * *

The book fell to the table with a loud, reverberating bang as Gumi dropped into the seat behind it. "Okay, tell me what you're up to," she demanded, crossing her arms and stretching her feet out across Sirius's lap.

James's eyes widened innocently as he placed a hand against his chest. "Us? We're not up to anything, Miss Pheonix and it hurts that you would thin—"

"Bollocks," Bridget interrupted with a grin. "It's Halloween and the entire school's watching you four like you're about to explode." ("Aw, Jet, that was fourth year. We don't do repeats.") "You are up to something. Besides, you are _always _up to something."

Sirius smirked and shoved at James's shoulder. "I think they're on to us mate."

"Aye, we should be more careful."

"We should be sneakier," Peter added with a solemn nod; the nod was ruined, however, by the wide grin attempting to stretch his mouth too far across his face.

Remus sighed. "We _should _be less predictable. We do something every year."

"But, Moony," Sirius whined dramatically, "it's _tradition._"

Remus rolled his eyes in response.

"You're not going to tell us anything, are you?" Kagumi asked despondently, sighing. "And here I thought you'd at least realize that with more people helping the prank, the bigger prank you could pull off."

Bridget looked up at her over her book and Kagumi noticed, for the first time, one of the likely reasons why Sirius Black was practically radiating glee and satisfaction; Bridget was acting much more comfortable with him than she normally did. Kagumi didn't feel quite like ruining his joy by telling him that it was partially because it was probably the safest place to be on a notorious pranking day. That thought in mind, she resettled herself on the other side of Sirius, right between him and James.

"Did you really think they would?" she asked and Kagumi shrugged noncommittally.

"Not really."

James and Sirius gave the girls identical grins. "You'll just have to wait until supper like everyone else," Sirius said and the other boy nodded.

"So…" Bridget traced absent-minded patterns on Sirius's knee and looked up at him through her eyelashes. "It's gonna happen at dinner, then?"

There was a moment of stunned silence before Kagumi burst into peals of laughter, with Bridget's pleased giggles soon joining in. Peter groaned, burying his face in his hands and Remus threw a crumpled up ball of parchment at his friend, which struck him dead on the nose.

"Padfoot!" James whined, throwing a dramatic arm over his eyes. "You're such a gullible prat."

* * *

The House Elves were orange.

Lily blinked and walked forward from the doorway she'd frozen in. She should have known better than to agree to have a served dinner after _Jame — _after Potter of all people had suggested it. Only bad things could happen when it was one of the Marauders' ideas.

Speaking of Marauders… Lily spotted Remus in the corner levitating pumpkins onto the Head Table. She dropped her knapsack on the nearest table and strode over to him, tidying up her uniform as she did so. He didn't seem to notice her approach, so she crossed her arms over her chest and began tapping her shoe.

"Remus John Lupin, what have you four _done_?"

Remus let out a startled yelp, the pumpkin crashing onto the head of one of the fifth year Hufflepuff prefects. He shouted and fell onto his backside, but his partner started to pull the squash off of his head, so Lily didn't see how she could help the situation any more. She turned back to Remus and gave him a level, solemn glare, waiting for him to speak.

"Nothing, Lily," he said in an admirably innocent voice that she didn't believe for a _second_. "Why would you think that?"

"Because," she gestured widely at the room, nearly knocking over the same Hufflepuff who'd just had his head in a pumpkin and would probably smell like fresh produce until next week. "The House Elves are _orange_, you prat."

"And black," a voice breathed in her ear. She flushed red and tried to tell herself it was from being snuck up on and not from the sudden brush of breath against her skin.

Lily whirled around and poked James in the chest. He was right. "You. This is your fault. It is _always _your fault. What have you _done _to them?"

"Me?" he asked innocently, hazel eyes widening behind his glasses. "Why would you think that?"

She gave him a stern look she'd perfected over the years. "It is _always _you."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"What if you've _hurt _them, James?" Lily asked, feeling her careful wall of righteous indignation crumbling away like old Pumpkin Pasties.

His grin widened and he made a sharp gesture at one of the nearest Elves. "Nutty," he called and the orange creature bounded towards them. She smiled up at James like he was her Lord and Savior and Lily fought the urge to smile fondly; instead she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Master James? How can Nutmeg help Master James?" she squeaked. "Does Master James want Nutmeg to fetch another bottle of Heavenly Dreams Bubblebath? Madame Delafleur has the pretty lilac one Master James likes because it smells of the Master's mistress."

"Um…" Lily thought James's cheeks might've flushed pink, but it must be the light; after all, everyone knew James Potter didn't blush. "No. No thanks. I was just wondering if this new and festive coloring of yours hurts any?"

"Oh, no, Master James," Nutmeg replied eagerly. "Of course not. Nutmeg likes being orange, yes, she does. And it doesn't hurt at all, just like Master—" James made a quick, abortive gesture that Lily would normally miss, but she'd been around him long enough to see it. "Just like Master said it would. Only a tickle."

"Thank you, Nutty." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, and Lily would've thought he was embarrassed if it had been anyone else because when he turned his attention back to her he was grinning just like he normally did. "See, Evans. It doesn't hurt at all, not that I had anything to do with it in the first place."

She sighed. "Right," she conceded. Lily resigned herself to the appropriately tinted House Elves; at least it was relatively harmless and Severus wasn't in a dress. Again.

* * *

Dinner was almost over and nothing had happened. Of course, the Elves were a painfully bright orange or a midnight black that had them blending in with the shadows (a lurking Elf had startled Severus into a yelp that had the boys bent over with glee and laughter while the girls carefully avoided mentioning it, or in fact, even looking in the direction of the obviously sulking Severus), but that wasn't close to the Marauders' level of prank expertise and Kagumi was on edge. Bridget moved closer to James, careful to only eat what the male Gryffindors were eating.

"This better not be anything too terrible," she muttered to the boy. He smiled innocently, enjoying her concern entirely too much for her comfort.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"Oh, please, you so do know. Anyways," Bridget poked him in the ribs before glancing down to the seat where Lily was eating with Kamal, "Lily's been warming up to you. You don't want to screw that up. I think she might even go out with you soon enough."

"Really?" James perked up, expression softening as he gazed at his long-time crush. "Should I ask her to Hogsmeade?"

"No, love. Not quite yet. Wait until she's head over heels." Bridget shrugged. "It shouldn't be that long for her to go completely mad over you." She grinned as Lily looked up, noticed both her and James's attention and looked away, blushing. "She's already halfway there."

James settled down in his seat, smiling in a very satisfied way. "Don't worry. It's nothing bad."

"What _is _it?"

"I swear, James Potter, if you lot have got tap dancing skeletons hidden somewhere…" Kagumi trailed off threateningly.

"Just wait."

Bridget sighed and was about to push farther when shrieks and giggles started down at the end of the tables where the first years were seated. It seemed to grow into a ripple down the tables until it reached the seventh years.

Kagumi dropped her fork with a yelp, staring at the changing food on her golden plate. What had once been a very nice Shepherd's Pie had suddenly become a mass of Werther's caramels, and she turned to Remus, who smiled smugly at her from around a large Honeydukes chocolate bar.

"This is what you were planning?" she asked, amazed.

"Tha's right," he said. "Sirius asked James, who asked Lily, who asked Bridget, what your favorite candy was. Are you surprised?"

In lieu of a response, she tossed one of the hard caramels at him and then proceeded to unwrap one and eat it. He smiled slightly, resuming his attack on the chocolate.

Bridget pulled at James's shirt and the boy turned to her. Grinning, she bit into the Reese's Peanut Butter cup that either Sirius or James must've remembered was her favorite. "I have a surprise for you."

"What is it, my little inkwell?" he asked. "Are you planning on heaping glory and praise on me like my ingenuity and skill with the wand obviously deserve?"

"Not a chance in all the levels of hell," she replied cheerfully. She continued in a sing-song voice. "_But, _I think our dear Miss Evans might think a little differently."

Bridget pointed down at the table again. Lily was staring down at the bouquet of Sugar Quills and plate of chocolate bars in front of her, name spelt out in sparkling, bright red sugar crystal sprinkles. Softly, she ran her fingers along the edges. Bridget nudged James.

"See, she's coming around."

* * *

Raminus turned to Cordan, who was studying the Mirror that showed the Halloween feast. "That's... not as bad as I expected it to be," the Gryffindor said softly, he actually seemed a little disappointed in the lack of fanfare, but the moment of simple enjoyment would serve the students well in light of what was to come.

"Well, their pranks don't _always_ end in disaster and mayhem."

"No, just usually," Cordan said, stretching his back as he stood up. "Oh, I'm getting too old for this Guardian nonsense."

"Cordan, you're only — for the love of Merlin, stop being such a whinger. You're not that old. You've the body of a twenty two year old just as I do." Raminus rolled his eyes, looking at his best friend.

"Yes, but this absolutely spectacular twenty-something body is—" Cordan's brows furrowed. "Is... how long have we been here, again?"

"Not a clue," Ram replied distractedly. "I lost count after a century. When do you think the news will reach the school? Of what — what happened."

"I dunno," Cordan sighed, raking a hand through his hair.

He looked... weary, older than he should look for someone who hadn't even reached maturity and… for just a moment, it broke Ram's heart. The lines around Cor's face were deeper, more pronounced. His eyes were tired, skin was almost ashen. His hair was standing on end from the many times that he'd run his fingers through it in aggravation and helpless anger and Ram had an insane urge to smooth it out for him.

Cordan rubbed his eyes and looked back up at his friend. He looked the proper age again, but there was that protective glint in his eyes that had made the Gryffindor temper famous. "They'll know when Albus gets the message. Not before. Not after."

"I had wondered when things would start to pick up," Raminus said, fiddling with a quill on the desk so he wouldn't have to watch Cordan's worry any longer.

"We knew it couldn't stay peaceful forever, Ram." Cordan looked to his friend, who sighed deeply, eyes large and green and sad.

"Didn't stop me from hoping."

* * *

**Author's Ending Notes:** Dear Readers. Faithful Readers. We are your groveling, prostrate and ever-slaving writers. We are so terribly sorry you've had to wait so dratted long for a new chapter. Things have been absolutely insane. Really. Spectacularly insane. Real life has interfered once again, and there's a ton of new strange going-ons that are just – well, insane. Anyway, there it is. We're so sorry. We promise we'll have the next one out sooner. Life just has a terrifically distressing habit of interfering.

And as always, a special shout-out to Hoshi Kawada and Xitwa74 for putting us on alert/favoriting us, and to Xitwa74 and BlistersOnMyFingers for the lovely reviews.

* * *

_**Next Time, in DIN:

* * *

**_

"_Bridget all right, then?" he asked._

"_Cleaning up," Sirius replied dismissively. "You know how birds are. Prongs, do you feel like something's wrong with all this?"_

"_You as well, then?"_

"_Yeah. Lily's on edge, too, but you know how Remus can get after the full moon. He wouldn't notice if we were all replaced by House Elves some days. And Bridget— Bridget knows that something's wrong."_

"_None of us know what's going on."_

_Sirius watched him expectantly until he gave up on his friend and sighed, deftly tapping James once in the middle of his forehead before he settled back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. James blinked at him a second before it all became clear to him._

_"You can't possibly think she's--"_

_"Think about it, Prongs," Sirius interrupted. "It makes __**sense**__."_


	23. Don't Wait Up

**Disclaimer:** _Neither Kagumi nor Bridget own anything related to the Harry Potter series, other than the stuff they've bought and the ideas they come up with. Original characters and most of the situations presented, however, they do own._

**Author's Notes:** Well, that didn't take as long as it might have, although we've still to hit our stride with our updating schedule. Don't worry; we'll get it down eventually. And we've cut it down to shorter chapters, so they ought to be coming along a little faster.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two

Don't Wait Up

* * *

_"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live." _

_- Flora Whittemore_

_

* * *

_

The feast (or what was left of it) was nearly over when sparks flew out above the Head Table. The green light— unintentionally so like that used by the Death Eaters— caught everyone's attention and the mini food fight that had been in full swing halted in its tracks, many hands still loaded with "ammunition."

Several of the more jumpy students had dropped to the ground, but everyone's eyes turned to where the Headmaster still stood, his wand pointed at the ceiling. He seemed unusually stoic, especially considering that it was one of his beloved holidays, and the ever-present twinkle in his eyes just wasn't there.

If anyone had been paying attention, they would have seen the owl that had directly preceded this reaction, but both teachers and students had been occupied with the food flinging across the room and they hadn't. The Gryffindors in particular (instigators of the event, of course) had been either throwing marshmallows charmed to explode on contact or dumping chocolate sauce.

"All prefects direct the other students back to the dormitories directly," Dumbledore said in a level voice that was more startling than anything else from the normally cheerful Headmaster. "Curfew begins immediately. Seventh year prefects will conduct a head count once in the common room. Our Head Boy and Girl," his eyes turned to James and Lily, but encompassed all of the elder Gryffindors, who turned to look at each other warily, "will retire to their dormitory to await further instruction before morning. Please go."

The Great Hall broke out into a controlled sort of chaos that only schools and households with many children (or one very curious one, as James's parents could attest to) seemed to ever be able to manage. Chattering enough to fill the emptying hall with noise, the crowd of younger students slowly dwindled, shepherded away by worried-looking prefects and in the commotion, the seven Gryffindors slipped away. Something had happened and they weren't about to be separated just because James and Lily were Heads.

"Something's not right," Bridget said suddenly, sounding solemn and grim.

Kagumi looked worriedly at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, the stubborn set of her features suggesting that nothing short of removing her arm from her body would get her to let Bridget go. Sirius paused but pulled Bridget against his side, arm wrapped firmly around her waist. She leaned against him and rested her hand over his, lacing her fingers through his.

"We won't find out what it is until Dumbledore decides to tell us." He gave her waist a quick squeeze. "Come on, love. They're leaving us behind." But the way Gumi stuck by Bridget's side, even as they made their way through the crowded halls, and Bridget's unnerving silence and slightly distant look gave Sirius a lot to think about.

* * *

It felt wrong.

James didn't know _why _it did— with the war things were getting worse by the day, bad news wasn't exactly unexpected, and whatever could upset _Dumbledore_ was bound to be bad news— but something was very wrong. He pulled on a spare shirt and left for the Common Room, hoping absently that he'd gotten all of the chocolate sauce out of his hair.

"Prongs."

James stopped at Sirius' call; his friend was using his Black Heir voice and he never did that. Sirius caught up and pulled James towards his bedroom, although neither went farther than the doorway. His friend seemed worried, face drawn in concern.

"Bridget all right, then?" he asked.

"Cleaning up," Sirius replied dismissively. "You know how birds are. Prongs, do you feel like something's wrong with all this?"

"You as well, then?"

"Yeah. Lily's on edge, too, but you know how Remus can get after the full moon. He wouldn't notice if we were all replaced by House Elves some days. And Bridget— Bridget _knows _that something's wrong."

"None of us know exactly what's going on."

Sirius watched him expectantly until he gave up on his friend and sighed, deftly tapping James once in the middle of his forehead before he settled back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. James blinked at him a second before it all became clear to him.

"You can't possibly think she's—"

"Think about it, Prongs," Sirius interrupted. "It makes _sense_."

"It doesn't— do you know how bloody rare that is?"

"Yeah, I do. And I know what my family would do to have a True Seer marry into our family, so I know why she wouldn't tell us. With you and me and even Remus; we're all Old Families, even if Remus is a half-blood. She couldn't have known how we'd react."

"And that would explain why Gumi—"

"Is so damn protective."

James was silent for a long moment. Even if he'd never put as much stock into Seers as other wizards did, he did know that if Bridget had The Sight, or was suspected of having it, she'd be sought after relentlessly. "We can't let anything happen to her. She likes us well enough; maybe she'll tell us."

"Like Remus did?" Sirius shook his head, and ran a hand through his hair, grimacing at the drying, thick chocolate strands clinging to his hand. "Probably not, but we don't have to worry about it yet. Bridget is a lot stronger than we'd think. Anyway, Gumi's snapping at people too, more than usual, that is." He looked at his hand again in disgust. "Ugh. I think I'm going to—" He gestured towards James' rooms.

"Yeah," James replied. "Yeah, go ahead. I think… I think it's going to happen soon so hurry up, will you?"

Sirius smirked. "I wouldn't have to if you hadn't taken so long. Bloody girl."

"Bollocks. _I _don't spend hours on my hair."

"Wouldn't do you any good anyways, Prongsie boy."

With a parting gesture of goodwill— the ever expressive one-fingered salute— Sirius left to get all the chocolate sauce out of his beloved hair. James made his way across the room to where the others were congregated near the fireplace. He'd just settled down in the seat nearest Lily when her bedroom door opened and Bridget strode out.

She stopped in front of him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Holly."

James blinked in bemusement. "What?"

"Holly," Bridget repeated firmly. "She's one of us now and she should be here."

"She— what?— how?"

"We can't get her here," Remus replied for him. "Dumbledore didn't just mean a regular curfew, he meant a Curfew. It was created during Grindlewald's war and the prefects have been informed about it since our third year when Voldemort started getting really bad. The professors have the Common Rooms locked down."

"And we have the Map and James' Cloak. It can't be that difficult."

"We don't have a way of getting into—"

"I have the possible Ravenclaw passwords," she interrupted, rolling her eyes. "I promised I wouldn't tell you lot, but I think these are extenuating circumstances. She should be here."

"She's right." Lily put her book down. "Holly's one of us. She doesn't have many close friends in Ravenclaw, and she's spent so much time with us that the others are starting to, well, ignore her."

"What?" James asked incredulously. "It's not as though we're a disease or something _catching._"

"You don't understand, James," Kagumi replied lowly. The temper and worry that had her on edge was still clearly visible in every facet of her face. "You lot have always been an exclusive sort of group. You probably didn't mean to, but you sort of ignored anyone not on your radar. People expect the people who hang about you to be the same way."

"I still don't get it," James said, his mind racing. Did they really seem that bad? He hadn't thought so, but he supposed the Marauders could've been seen as too tight-knit to allow others around.

"James…" Gumi growled warningly. Remus grabbed her hand, stroking his finger over the knuckles, and she relaxed. "Holly spends time with me, Lily and Bridge. We, in turn, are almost always around you lot. The Ravenclaws, in that odd and pubescent way, are probably thinking that Holly is ditching them because she can't _possibly_ have two groups of friends."

James looked between Gumi's annoyance, Jet's determination and Lily's worry, and sighed in defeat; he'd been outmaneuvered by the girls. Again.

"Fine. I'll get the Cloak and we can leave."

"Won't work," Bridget said, waving her hand absentmindedly; there was still a bit of distance in her eyes, and Sirius' words came back to linger in James' mind. "You and I could probably fit under it easily enough and maintain silence, but add in Holly, who's never been under the cloak, and we may run into some problems. I can do it well enough on my own and, well, you have to be here if Dumbledore or McGonagall show up."

Sirius would kill him. There was no doubt in James' mind. Sirius would murder him, and they'd never find the body. "I can't let you—"

There was a tense moment of silence, as Kagumi was obviously torn between going to fetch Holly and not leaving Bridget's side, Lily was thinking about the questionably acceptable use of the cloak to skirt the rules, and Remus was watching every one else. Then a voice spoke up from the corner by the door. "I'll do it."

"Pete?"

* * *

Peter ducked into the nearby alcove, pulling the cloak tight around him and steadying his breathing. He just had to wait for McGonagall and Sprout to pass by and he'd have an open path to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Their voices got louder as they passed by him, even though they were barely whispering.

"But, Minerva, I don't understand. What does this mean for us?"

"Hogwarts students are not safe. Mr. Potter and his friends are in…"

He couldn't hear any more. Peter cursed under his breath, momentarily torn between following the professors and getting Holly. In the end, she was one of theirs and he needed to get her first; there were always ways of getting information later, once they were all together.

He turned to the door and pulled the cloak off of his arm, hoping that the professors were far enough that they wouldn't be able to hear the bronze eagle knocker. Peter hesitated, but reached out and lifted the knocker once.

The eagle's beak opened and a soft, musical voice said, "The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?"

Peter blinked. Maybe Bridget _should_ have come instead. This was one of the riddles she hadn't covered before he'd left. He glanced down at his watch, wondering how upset they'd be with him if he came back empty hand—wait. Peter unfolded the Map, holding it in front of him and looked at the dots of the professors trailing down the next hall.

"Can you repeat the question?" he asked hesitantly, hoping that the knocker wouldn't take that as an answer.

"The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?"

He grinned, even if the knocker had sounded exasperated and it was a little demeaning to be looked down on by a metal bird, but at least he had the answer. "Footsteps."

"Wise choice."

Peter stepped into the door and pulled off the cloak once it closed behind him. He turned around and froze. Maybe he should have kept the cloak on, after all, he thought to himself as the broad-shouldered Ravenclaw Keeper stared him down.

"Pettigrew?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Um, hey Ackerly."

The seventh year prefect sighed. "I suppose you're here for Harper, then?" he drawled, obviously unsurprised.

"Yeah." Peter frowned at him. "How'd you know?"

Ackerly waved his hand dismissively. "We _are_ Ravenclaws, you know; we're not stupid. Besides, the entire school notices when the Marauders take interest in someone new." Peter wasn't quite sure what to say to that, and was still fumbling for a response when Ackerly smiled, amused. "Don't worry 'bout it; I'll get her for you."

The boy disappeared in the door across from him, leaving Peter alone in the large, circular room. It was a lot like the Gryffindor Common Room, just with more books and stuff and blue everywhere instead of the bright red and gold that dominated his Tower. He felt distinctly out of place in a room that radiated such… scholarly calm. Also, the ceiling had stars and that was a little—

"Peter?"

He nearly toppled over. "Hi, Holly."

She pulled the front of her robes tighter. Peter had his sleeves pushed up past his elbows and, without his school robes on, looked more broad-shouldered than just big; it was making her a little self-conscious in just her nightgown and outer robes. While the rest of the Ravenclaws had been debating what could've happened to upset everyone, she'd felt disquiet at being left behind (before firmly telling herself she couldn't expect that they'd remember) and had tried to get to sleep early.

"Peter," she asked in a soft voice, "what are you doing here?"

"Um, well, we're sorry we sort of forgot about you when Dumbledore made his speech. Wow, that really sounds terrible. You're not unimportant or anything, it's just— I mean, we're not used to having people outside of our House and it was a little chaotic, wasn't it? They're good—"

"_Peter_," Holly interrupted, smiling gently; he was rather adorable when he babbled. "Why are you _here_? It's the middle of the night. You're supposed to be in your dorm."

"Erm, that's why." He caught himself before he could run his hand through his hair like James and Sirius did when they were nervous. "You're one of us now, Hols. You're supposed to be with us. I came to bring you to our Common Room."

"I'm not going to spend the night in the Gryffindor Common Room," she said, arching one eyebrow at him.

"Uh, no. I meant the Heads' dorm. We've been staying there off and on for a while; I thought you knew. You'd be with the girls in Lily's room, o'course, but they're brilliant at— I mean you're good at Transfiguration, too, but—"

"Okay." She blushed when he stopped speaking to stare at her, his cornflower blue eyes wide with shock. "I'll go with you. Just… let me get changed first."

He flushed a matching shade of red as his gaze wandered down to her state of dress and snapped politely back up to her face. "Oh. Of course. I'll just… wait here."

* * *

"What do you mean you sent _Peter_?" Sirius said. He decided he probably hadn't used the best tone when he saw Bridget's jaw set stubbornly. Well, that was perfectly _great_, he thought. Now they'd have to go save Peter _and_ get Holly because Bridget had entered one of her stubborn phases and, of course, Gumi and Lily were right there with her and dammit, why'd this have to happen tonight?

"Of course we sent Peter. He's perfectly capable, you know."

"I _know _that," he said, annoyed.

"Do you?" Gumi asked harshly, her pacing interrupted long enough to glare at him; then her gaze softened as she leaned against the couch. "Sometimes I wonder. He's not the tag-along every sees him as, Siri, and he's just as capable as any of us."

"I _know_." He ran a hand through his newly-washed hair. "He's just— Merlin, he's _Peter_. We never send him by himself unless we don't have a choice."

Jet crossed her arms over her chest, eyes blazing. "That doesn't mean he can't do it. If someone had to get me would you let anyone but you or James go? If it was Lily would James let anyone else get her? Don't be an idiot."

"I don't—" Sirius faltered. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Are you being deliberately thick, Black?" Kagumi snapped from her perch on the couch arm.

He whirled on her, a little stung by the use of his last name. "I am _not_—"

"You're _all _being stupid," Lily said, visibly harried. "Will everyone just sit down and be quiet?"

Bridget opened her mouth as if she was going to say something else, but shook her head and settled back down in her seat, still stiff until Sirius had sat down next to her.

Lily nodded once in satisfaction. "Good. Now we just have to wait for them to get back or Dumbledore to arrive."

* * *

It was almost one by the time the Headmaster had arrived with McGonagall and most of them had fallen asleep in the Common Room, Bridget curled up between Sirius and James with Kagumi, Remus, and Lily on the other couch and Peter and Holly in the two armchairs. Sirius and James were the only ones who'd managed to stay awake, Sirius running a hand over Bridget's hair in an effort to keep the girl from fidgeting too much while they tried to figure out what was going on.

"Albus, I don't believe they'll still be awake," McGonagall was saying as they entered. "It's nearly one in the morning. Why can't we wait until a reasonable hour?"

"My dear Minerva, this cannot wait. We cannot risk having them find out through another student or, magic forbid, the wireless." The Headmaster appeared, outlined in the dim firelight. "Ah, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, I see you waited up for me; I do apologize for the late hour."

"It's not a problem, Professor," Sirius replied, voice tense with agitation, which clearly said that it was, in fact, a problem but that he wasn't going to call a respected elder on it. "Are you going to tell us what's going on now?"

"Perhaps it would be best if you woke Messrs. Lupin and Pettigrew and the girls first."

Simultaneously, Sirius and James threw pillows at the Marauder nearest to them, jerking the two other boys into semi-wakeful states; under any other circumstance, the unintentional synchronization would've been amusing.

"Up," James said sternly as he knelt down next to Lily. "And wake up the girls, too."

"Bridget," Sirius murmured softly. "Love, wake up now. Professor Dumbledore's here to see us."

"Hm?" Bridget blearily blinked open her eyes, smiling up at him trustingly as he stroked her hair. "Sirius?"

"Yes, that's right. Time to wake up." She yawned, but obligingly sat up, although she leaned against him, still dozing.

"Gumi?" Remus said, barely loud enough to be heard; Sirius and James both gave him an exasperated look, as though to say, 'get on with it, we're waiting here.' She mumbled something and burrowed her head deeper in his side, one hand waving vaguely at something in her dream. "Gumi."

The girl grumbled, and the hand resting on Remus's knee tightened around his robes. Exasperated, he removed the arm that had been draped across her shoulders and gave a single, gentle yank on her ponytail; that jolted her awake so fast she narrowly missed colliding with his chin as she shot upwards. Blinking owlishly, Gumi spun around, disoriented, before finally focusing on the two professors standing in front of the fire.

"Professors?"

"Miss Harper?" McGonagall observed, frowning. She covered her eyes with her hand and sighed; it was the weary sigh of a put-upon guardian, telling even in its fondness. "I don't even think I'm surprised by anything you boys get into anymore."

"Professor McGonagall!" Holly gasped, clutching the small throw Peter had wrapped her up in to her chest. "I'm so sorry. I just—I don't—"

"It's of no matter Miss Harper. I don't expect anything less from my Gryffindors."

Sirius grinned over at James. "See, Prongs, she does love us."

"I've been telling you that for years, Padfoot."

"Headmaster," Lily said before they could get into their stride; it would not help the situation. "What happened tonight?"

"I have some bad news for all of you," Professor Dumbledore said solemnly. "Tonight there were several monumental Death Eater attacks. I'm afraid—"

"Dad?" James interrupted, ashen.

"No, Mr. Potter," McGonagall replied kindly. "Your parents are safe."

"Several others are not, however. St. Mungo's Hospital and the offices of _The Daily Prophet_ were both hit."

This time it was Bridget who interrupted, just as pale as James had been and wide awake now, while Gumi clung to Remus' arm with wide eyes. "Is Mr. Longbottom okay? And Remus' mum?"

"Yes, Miss Griffins," Dumbledore said. "Both are fine. Luckily the _Prophet_ was solely property damage and St. Mungo's had no fatalities. We believe they only intended to frighten people at the hospital. Unfortunately, the Minister's home was also attacked. His family was visiting relatives in France, but Minister Cadwalder and Deputy Minister Erastus along with Ambassador Santiago from America were killed in the attack." He gave James a somber look over his half-moon glasses, although the boy already knew what he was going to say.

"James your father is acting Minister waiting on his confirmation by the Wizengamot."

* * *

"James?" Bridget asked worriedly. The boy's blank stare unnerved her, and something in the back of her mind told her not to leave him alone. "James, love, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," came the toneless reply. James met her gaze and grinned, but it didn't touch the cold hazel eyes and that worried all of them. Bridget looked over at Gumi and the two girls started gesturing in ways that Holly couldn't understand, even if Lily appeared to be mostly following it.

"You're far from fine, James," Gumi concluded, resting her elbows on her knees. "What's going through your head?"

"You wouldn't want to know," he replied, in the same neutral manner. He flashed a grin at Bridget and gave Lily a longer look, as if he'd just noticed that she was there. Then he shook his head and slowly walked into his bedroom, somehow looking small and lost even with his back turned.

Lily waited until James had sat on his bed and was gazing into the fire, only partially visible, before turning to the rest of the group. "I'm worried."

"Funny, you never really worried before," Bridget snapped, her patience obviously worn thin. "You were content to be the one who put that look on his face."

"Jet, I—" Lily stopped, biting her lip. Bridget, still looking at the door James disappeared into, didn't even notice.

"Bids, that's uncalled for," Gumi said incredulously; Bridget never snapped at anyone without reason, and it wasn't like her to willfully hurt someone, and especially not a friend. "Lily is just as worried as the rest of us."

Bridget rolled her eyes, "Yeah. What—" There was a soft thump in the other room, followed by a loud whooshing sound and she sat straight up, not bothering to finish her reply. Sirius gently pulled her taut form back into a resting position.

"James?" he called. The fire suddenly flared green and James was pulling his Cloak around his shoulders.

In a split second, Remus was on his feet and across the room with Sirius at his heels. They simultaneously tackled James, pulling him out of the fire before he could state his destination. James didn't fight, didn't pull away or struggle, he just lay there, half hidden under his friends as Remus put out the fire.

Bridget, bracing herself in the doorway, slid to a stop so quickly that Lily nearly ended up crushed between her and Holly. Luckily, Gumi was quick enough to dodge under her taller friend's arms, stopping just in the room. It hurt to look at the scene, and Holly had the feeling that this was something terribly private, something she had no right to see.

Sirius motioned to Peter and the boy started gently pulling the girls back. He nearly had to wrestle Bridget away from the room, just lifting her off her feet and carrying her away when she refused to budge. Remus stood, leaving James in Sirius's hands, and pulled Lily aside.

"Maybe you can get through to him," he said softly, the concern apparent in his eyes. "Maybe you can make him listen to reason." She shook her head, watching Sirius peel the Cloak from James as he chattered in a soothing voice. "Lily, he _listens _to you."

"What was he doing?" Holly asked, shaking slightly.

"He was going to go to the Ministry, to find his da," Peter replied. "It'd be chaos there and having James right in the middle of it would be too perfect of an opportunity for the Death Eaters, or sympathizers. It would be a _warning _to pureblood heirs and parents if they got their hands on him."

"But you're not supposed to be able to connect to the Floo network from a regular fireplace, are you?" Kagumi asked. "It's not possible."

"He's _James_. He's done plenty of the impossible," Lily said, stepping towards James with just the faintest hint of pride. Sirius nodded his approval (which was surprising in itself, because Lily and he were never the best of friends, so to speak) and helped James up until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

It didn't take long for the door to open again and James rushed away, out of the room before any of them could react. Lily followed a few seconds later. She looked close to tears, her eyes red-rimmed and her voice thick when she spoke.

"He's upset."

Bridget spun towards her, ignoring Sirius's attempts to pull her back, and narrowed her eyes at the other girl. "What did you say to him?" she asked in a level voice that had Sirius wrapping his arms around her waist and physically pulling her back.

"Bridget," he whispered close to her ear. She ignored him and pushed his hands away as she stood up.

"What did you _say _to him?" Jet rolled her eyes, a derisive frown on her face. "Do you ever pass up an opportunity to hurt him? _God_, Lily, what is wrong with you?"

"Bridget," Gumi snapped, watching as Lily folded in on herself in the armchair by the fire, "what is wrong with _you_? Leave her alone. Can't you see she's hurting and worried just like any of us?"

"I'm leaving." Bridget turned her back on her friends, and it seemed like more than just a physical gesture. "Don't wait up for me."

* * *

**Author's Ending Notes:** I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please review if you read it; they guilt us into posting faster.

* * *

Thanks to **BlistersOnMyFingers, elexa, Wandering Hitokiri, SiriusObsession, monbade** and **fairydustandcansofspam** for reviewing. Seriously, guys, you make our day, and sometimes our week, by reviewing, and it always guilts us into writing faster.

Thanks to the following for putting us on Alert: **PennyLane09, elexa** (author and story), **Suezanne, SiriusObsession** and **Mizuko Renka**.

And for favorites: **elexa** (author and story, again), **Wandering Hitokiri, SiriusObsession** and **monbade** (also author and story).

* * *

**Preview of the Next Chapter:

* * *

**

"_They look up to you, James, you can't lose hope or they will."_

"_Who?"_

"_Everyone. Sirius, Peter, and Remus will do whatever you do, but a lot of people in this school— and not just students—follow your lead. Once you're out of Hogwarts others will, too. You were born for greatness, love. You can't lose hope now."_

"_No, but I do have to grow up," he said quietly, scrubbing the tears from his eyes as his grip on her shoulders tightened; even though it was uncomfortable, she let him tighten his hand without a wince. He needed the comfort of her there. "I have to grow into the wizard Mum and Da want me to be."_

"_And things will change," Jet said, that distant look in her eye again. "Have hope and love and the darkness will end in time. You will lead, unwillingly, and be a better man for it. And when all has passed, and all come together, and the bindings you've been splinted with removed, you'll heal proper and true and grow into your destiny."_

"…_Bridge?"_


	24. Attention All Readers:

Hey Faithful Readers.

Gumi here. And I know, I know, usually whenever it's anything but a chapter we're uploading, there's some terrible news on the way.

It's no less correct at this point.

Life is getting in the way of writing. Biddy has some serious stuff going on, and I've got my own stresses here. Not to mention that I'm going to be house sitting for two weeks without a computer.

But I promise, DIN and PVV **ARE** still in the works. I swear to you, we're working on the stories when we can, but recently, we've started a massive overhaul of DIN simply to streamline and introduce better plotlines.

We will keep you updated.

Sorry for the long, long wait.

But yeah, the stories are on hiatus for a while. I'll let you know the minute they're not.

Sorry again.

Love,

Gumi.


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